Chapter Review

Chapter Activities

  1. Working with a classmate, identify famous families from TV shows or movies that correspond to each family type, such as the Cosbys (nuclear), the Brady Bunch (stepfamily), and the Addams family (extended). Consider the communication styles of these families and how they handle conflict. How realistic do these media families seem? What are the major differences between media families and real-life ones?

    Question

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  2. Go to americanfamilystories.org and listen to a few examples of family stories on the site. Write a journal entry explaining what you heard and how the stories align to the types of stories described in Family Stories. Then, write an essay about one of your own favorite family stories and include why the story is significant and how it affects family communication.

    Question

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  3. image Watch the videos on consensual families, protective families, pluralistic families, and laissez-faire families. Identify which family communication pattern best represents your family. Using a real example of behaviors and experiences, create your own video script demonstrating how the pattern works in your family.

    Question

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  4. With a small group of classmates, discuss the following questions: Do you add your family members as friends to your social networks? Why or why not? Do you monitor your communication with others due to this? Has being friends with family members on social networks caused conflict? How has technology changed the way you communicate with your family?

    Question

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  5. Write an essay applying the ideas of Communication Privacy Management Theory. Address these questions: What were the family privacy rules in your family of origin? How has privacy been beneficial or detrimental in your family? What changes did you experience in openness during different transitions in your childhood? Would you change or maintain the same privacy rules with your own children in your current or future families?

    Question

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