COMM 315 1st Edition Lecture 22 Outline of Last Lecture I. Romantic Relationships (cont.)II. Interpersonal Relationship StrategiesOutline of Current Lecture I. Family RelationshipsCurrent LectureChapter 12: Interpersonal Relationships: Family and Workplace- Family Relationshipso Family Defined There is controversy as to what constitutes as a family Traditional definitions of a family focus on the roles of husbands, wives, and children who all live together under one roof. Family- self-defined unit made up of any number of persons who live or have lived in relationship with one another over time in a common living space and who are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinshipo Family Types Natural or Nuclear Family- mother, father, and their biological children- Was once the most traditional family type, but is no longer typical.- Sometimes called an idealized natural family Extended Family- relatives such as aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandparentsand/or unrelated persons who are part of a family unit. Blended Family- two adults and their children. Because of divorce, separation, death, or adoption, the children are the offspring of other biological parents or of just one of the adults who are raising them- Given so many different relationships, communication becomes anespecially significant factor in the development and maintenance of a healthy blended family. These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Families with adopted children might struggle with creating a unified sense of family, particularly if the adopted children are physically different from other family members.  Single-Parent Family- one parent raising one or more children- Children of divorced parents who share joint custody still have ongoing relationship with both parents. However, the level of involvement each parent maintains in the children’s lives affects the nature of those relationships.- Many children must navigate between two households. This navigation is affected by the relationship between the divorced parents, which can be one of three types:o Conflicted co-parenting (frequent conflicts, poor conflict management, and failure to emotionally disengage)o Parallel co-parenting (low conflict, low communication, and emotional disengagement)o Cooperative co-parenting (good communication, coordination, and some flexibility in planning)o The average of unmarried mothers is 25 and they have an average of 2.3 children living with them. Family of Origin- family in which a person is raised- You may have been reared in more than one family of origin because of divorce and remarriage- This family is the family that you learned the rules and skills of interpersonal communication and developed your basic assumptions about relationships.  Voluntary (Fictive) Kin- individuals considered family regardless of their legal or blood connection- Substitute voluntary kin fill in for other family members who have dies or are out of the picture. (EX: a neighbor who is like a mom to you after your mom has passed)- Supplemental voluntary kin occur in parallel to existing family relationships, often meeting a void or deficit with an actual family member. (EX: a friend acting like a sister, closer to you than your own biological siblings)- Convenience voluntary kin arise because the context makes them easily accessible. (EX: workplace members may be considered family, but this type of family is dissolved when members leave)- Extended family voluntary kin are relationships with extended family members that are closer than might typically occur. (EX: cousins who are like siblings)o Two models of family interaction Communication within a family plays a major role in determining the quality of family life and the development of children.  Good family communication is so important it is sometimes considered “the largest single factor determining the kinds or relationships [we make] with others”o Circumplex model The Circumplex model of family interaction- model of the relationships among family adaptability, cohesion, and communication.- Was developed to explain functional and dysfunctional family systems.  Has 3 basic dimensions: Adaptability- a family’s ability to modify and respond to changes in the family’s power structure and roles Cohesion- emotional bonding and feelings of togetherness that families experience Communication- The most critical element- Not specifically labeled in the figure, because everything in the model is influenced by communication. - Determines how cohesive and adaptable families are The model helps explain relationships among family cohesiveness, adaptability, and communication at different stages of family development.  The intersection of the two dimensions creates labels that are often attached to the family types, such as:- Chaotically disengaged for a family that has no rules or structure and no cohesion, - Structurally connected for families that have a number of rules butis still flexible with feeling close to each other but with some independence At the center of the circle are four family types that balance moderate amounts of cohesion and adaptability. In general, families with these balanced levels of cohesion and adaptability usually have better communication skills and function better across the entire family life cyclethan do those at the extremes.  There is no single best way to be a family!o Family communication patterns model- a model of family communication based on two dimensions: conversation (which is the degree to which family members are encouraged to discuss any topic) and conformity (which is the degree to which the family emphasizes embracing the same values, attitudes, and beliefs) Families with a strong conversation orientation engage in frequent discussions, all family members share their thoughts and feelings, and they all share in decision making Families strong on conformity seek homogeneity, harmony, avoidance of conflict, and obedience to elders.  The intersection of the two dimensions produces four types of families, each type with its own unique communication patters: Consensual families- families with a high orientation toward both conversation and conformity- Children are encouraged to talk but are expected to accept