Engaging Theories in Family Communication

Dawn O. Braithwaite is a Willa Cather Professor and Chair of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She studies communication in discourse dependent (postmodern) families, dialectics of relating, and rituals in step- and voluntary families. She has published five books and 125 manuscripts. Braithwaite received the National Communication Association’s Brommel Award for Family Communication, was named Distinguished Scholar of Western States Communication Association, and is a Past President of the National Communication Association.Elizabeth A. Suter is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Denver specializing in critical interpersonal and family communication. Her research lies at the intersection of relationships and culture, addressing issues of power, struggle, and social change. She co-edited the special issue of the Journal of Family Communication on critical approaches to family communication research, and is an officer of the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association.Kory Floyd is a Professor of Communication at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on the communication of affection in close relationships and on the intersection between interpersonal behavior and health. He has authored or edited 15 books and nearly 100 journal articles and chapters on interpersonal and family communication, nonverbal behavior, and psychophysiology. He is a past editor of the Journal of Family Communication and Communication Monographs.

• Contributor BiosPreface- Dawn O. Braithwaite, Elizabeth A. Suter, and Kory FloydChapter 1: Introduction: The Landscape of Meta-Theory and Theory in Family Communication ResearchDawn O. Braithwaite, Elizabeth A. Suter, and Kory FloydChapter 2: Affection Exchange Theory: A Bio-Evolutionary Look at Affectionate CommunicationKory Floyd, Colin Hesse, and Mark Alan GenerousChapter 3: Appraisal Theories of Emotion: How Families Understand and Communicate Their FeelingsSandra Metts Chapter 4: Attachment Theory in Families: The Role of CommunicationLaura K. GuerreroChapter 5: Attribution Theory: Who’s at Fault in Families?Valerie ManusovChapter 6: Communicated Narrative Sense-Making Theory: Linking Storytelling and Well-BeingJody Koenig KellasChapter 7: Communication Accommodation Theory and Communication Theory of Identity: Theories of Communication and IdentityJordan Soliz and Colleen Warner ColanerChapter 8: Communication Privacy Management Theory: Understanding Families Sandra Petronio Chapter 9: Communication Theory of Resilience: Enacting Adaptive-Transformative Processes When Families Experience Loss and DisruptionP.M. Buzzanell Chapter 10: Critical Feminist Family Communication Theories: Gender, Power, and PraxisPatricia J. Sotirin and Laura L. EllingsonChapter 11: Dyadic Power Theory: Dominance and Power in Family Communication Norah E. Dunbar and Aubrie Adams Chapter 12: Facework Theory: Performing Familial Roles in Everyday Interactions M. Chad McBride Chapter 13: Family Communication Patterns Theory: A Grand Theory of Family CommunicationAscan F. Koerner, Paul Schrodt, and Mary Anne Fitzpatrick Chapter 14: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: A Framework for Understanding Family ConflictLoreen N. Olson and Annalisa DonaheyChapter 15: General Systems Theory: A Compelling View of Family LifeChristina G. Yoshimura and Kathleen M. Galvin Chapter 16: Intersectionality: (Re)Considering Family Communication from Within the MarginsApril L. Few-Demo, Julia Moore, and Shadee AbdiChapter 17: Language Convergence/Meaning Divergence Theory: Creating Conflict Through MisunderstandingsDebbie S. DoughteryChapter 18: Multiple Goals Theories: Motivations for Family Interactions and RelationshipsSteven R. Wilson and John P. CaughlinChapter 19: Narrative Performance Theory: Making Stories, Doing FamilyKristin M. Langellier and Eric E. Peterson Chapter 20: Necessary Convergence Communication Theory: Submission and Power in Family CommunicationMichelle Miller-Day Chapter 21: Negotiated Morality Theory: How Family Communication Shapes Our ValuesVincent R. Waldron and Douglas L. KelleyChapter 22: Relational Dialectics Theory: Realizing the Dialogic Potential of Family CommunicationElizabeth A. Suter and Leah M. Seurer Chapter 23: Relational Turbulence Theory: Understanding Family Communication During Times of ChangeLeanne K. Knobloch, Denise Haunani Solomon, Jennifer A. Theiss, and Rachel M. McLarenChapter 24: Social Construction Theory: Communication Co-Creating FamiliesDawn O. Braithwaite, Elissa Foster, and Karla M. Bergen Chapter 25: Social Exchange Theory: A Cost-Benefit Approach to RelationshipsLaura StaffordChapter 26: Social Learning Theory: An Emphasis on Modeling in Parent-Child RelationshipsAlesia Woszidlo and Adrianne KunkelChapter 27: Structuration Theory: Applications for Family CommunicationKristen Norwood and Paaige K. TurnerChapter 28: The Theory of Natural Selection: An Evolutionary Approach to Family CommunicationKory Floyd, Dana R. Dinsmore, and Corey A. Pavlich Chapter 29: Theory of Resilience and Relational Load (TRRL): Understanding Families as Systems of Stress and CalibrationTamara D. Afifi and Kathryn HarrisonChapter 30: Uses and Gratifications Theory: Considering Media Use in the Context of Family CommunicationJeffrey T. Child and Paul Haridakis