1. Family Communication

2. Take Home Points Family Communication Pattern Theory (FCPT)
What are the two orientations?
What are the four family types?
Be able to classify an example.
How does conflict and decision making happen within each family type?
What is the chilling effect?
What is observational learning?
Three family structures (power, decision, interaction)
Know types of each
Be able to recognize examples of different types
How do these fit with FCPT?

3. What is your definition of family?
On a scrap piece of paper, write it down

4. Family
Definition
“a network of people who live together over long periods of time bound by ties of marriage, blood, or commitment, legal or otherwise”
Discuss definition – things about it

5. Family Communication Patterns Theory
Two orientations
Four family types

6. Conversation Orientation
How much the family encourages everyone to participate with “unrestricted interaction” in a multitude of topics
High
Clarify cartoon
Low
Koerner & Fitzpatrick 2002

7. Conformity Orientation
How much the family emphasizes similar attitudes, values and beliefs among all family members
(Togetherness vs. Individuality)
Who makes decisions?
High
Low
Koerner & Fitzpatrick 2002

8. Family Types Based on FCP
High Conversation Orientation
Low Conversation Orientation
Consensual
Protective
Pluralistic
Laissez-faire
High Conformity Orientation
Low Conformity Orientation
Koerner & Fitzpatrick 2002

9. Which type do you think is most common in the US?
Consensual
Shearman & Dumlao (2008)
131 students from a communication class in a university in the Eastern United States. 73% white, 21% African-American
1. Consensual, 2. Protective, 3. Pluralistic,
4th (and way last) Laissez Faire.
131 students from a communication class in a university in the Eastern United States. 73% white, 21% African-American
Consensual, 2. Protective, 3. Pluralistic, 4 (and way last) Laissez Faire.

10. Do you think this holds true for other cultures/nations?
Shearman & Dumlao (2008)
No!
In Japan, the most common was…
laissez-faire!
Koerner & Fitzpatrick 2002

11. How would family conflict be handled in each type of family pattern?
Koerner & Fitzpatrick 2002

12. Conflict & FCPT Koerner & Fitzpatrick (1997)
RQ: How are FCPs related to ways of coping with conflict within families?
Method
Participants: 35 families w/at least 1 teenage child
Measures
Coping measure: Conflict avoidance, Seeking social support, Venting feelings
RFCP
* Koerner, A. F., & Fitzpatrick, M. (1997). Family type and conflict: The impact of conversation orientation and conformity orientation on conflict in the family. Communication Studies, 48,

13. Conflict & FCPT Koerner & Fitzpatrick (1997)
Conflict avoidance
Support-seeking
Venting feelings
*Consensual +
Pluralistic -
*Protective
Laissez Faire
Pluralistic: don’t avoid conflict, so negative emotions get expressed, and tend not to build up as much so that family members don’t have to vent
Consensual: moderate on conflict avoidance; why does it say high here?
Protective: seems contradicting that they avoid conflict but also vent feelings a lot, but look at social support. They are low in SS, which indicates that the family doesn’t have a good way to deal with conflict, and that by avoiding it, it builds up negative emotions, creates hostility.
Laissez Faire: Emotionally divorced from each other. No one cares.
*Chilling effect: High conformity orientation results in conflict avoidance, probably due to power differences in families

14. The family type you were raised in determines how you handle conflict as an adult.
Family of Origin FCP  Adult Romantic Relationship Conflict Management
Koerner, A. F., & Fitzpatrick, M. A. (2002). You never leave your family in a fight: The impact of family of origin on conflict‐behavior in romantic relationships. Communication Studies, 53(3),

15. How you were raised influences your romantic conflict as an adult.

16. Observational learning is where we learn behaviors from good and bad role models.

17. Family Structures

18. Power-Authority Structure
Ability to change behavior of other members in the family
Types
Positional Structure
Person-oriented structure
P. 262

19. Decision Making Structure
How decisions are made within a family
Types
Consensus
Accommodation
De facto P

20. DQ
Which decision-making style does your family follow? Does this work, why or why not?

21. Interaction Structure
How the family communicates with one another
Types
Centralized
Chain
All-Channel Network p

22. DQ Are there any pattern types that you think the book is missing?
Does your family not fall into one of the patterns they list?

23. Take Home Points Family Communication Pattern Theory (FCPT)
What are the two orientations?
What are the four family types?
Be able to classify an example.
How does conflict and decision making happen within each family type?
What is the chilling effect?
What is observational learning?
Three family structures (power, decision, interaction)
Know types of each
Be able to recognize examples of different types
How do these fit with FCPT?