Family Communication

Kathleen M. Galvin (Ph.D. Northwestern University) is a Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. She has co-authored or edited nine books with multiple editions, as well as multiple chapters and articles. She is one of the founders of the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association and was awarded NCA’s Becker Award for Distinguished Service.Dawn O. Braithwaite (Ph.D. University of Minnesota) is Willa Cather Professor and Chair of Communication at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Braithwaite has authored or edited five books and over 125 articles. She received the National Communication Association’s Bernard J. Brommel Award for Family Communication and the Becker Award for service, was named 2014 Distinguished Scholar of Western States Communication Association, and is a Past President of NCA.Paul Schrodt (Ph.D. University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is the Philip J. and Cheryl C. Burguières Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University. He has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, and is the recipient of the National Communication Association’s Bernard J. Brommel Award for Family Communication and the Early Career Award in Interpersonal Communication.Carma L. Bylund (Ph.D. Northwestern University) is Associate Professor at the University of Florida. She is the author of 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and 20 book chapters, and co-edited the book Family Communication About Genetics: Theory and Practice. Bylund is a fellow of the American Academy of Communication in Healthcare.

"This is the best family communication book on the market today, helping students to understand the role of communication in family life during the twenty-first century. The book continues to provide cutting-edge research and theory in the field of family communication, making concepts understandable and relevant to students by providing case studies and real-life first-person examples. I applaud the authors for another outstanding edition of this fundamental and influential text."Michelle Miller-Day, Chapman University, USA"What began as a trailblazing family communication text remains one to this day. Professors Galvin, Braithwaite, Schrodt, and Bylund have crafted a student-focused program that honors the history of family communication while pushing its boundaries. Anyone wanting to understand family dynamics better will find this text to be of tremendous value."Kory Floyd, University of Arizona, USA

• 1. What Is a Family? 2. What Is Family Communication? 3. Family Communication Theories 4. Communication Patterns and the Creation of Family Identity 5. Relational Maintenance Within Families 6. Intimacy Within Partnerships and Families 7. Communication and Family Roles and Types 8. Power, Influence, and Decision-Making in Families 9. Communication and Family Conflict 10. Communication and Family Developmental Stresses 11. Family Communication and Unpredictable Stress 12. Family Communication and Well-Being