For some people, the term family refers to immediate relatives who live in the same household. For others, it means a more extended family that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Still others use the term to describe groups of people with whom they are intimately connected and committed, even without blood or civil ties, like some fraternal organizations or religious communities. But for our purposes, a family is a small social group bound by ties of blood, civil contract (such as marriage, civil union, or adoption), and a commitment to care for and be responsible for one another, often in a shared household.

Our first and most basic relationships are with family. From them, we learn communication skills and develop characteristics that affect how we interact with other people throughout our lives. ABC’s award-winning Modern Family features three Los Angeles families—that of Jay Pritchett and those of his daughter Claire and son Mitchell. Jay and his second wife, Gloria, have a baby son and her teenage son from a previous relationship. Claire and Phil Dunphy have three children, and Mitchell and his partner, Cameron, have an adopted Vietnamese daughter. Although the mockumentary format delivers a lot of laughs, the communication relationships are very solid and serious. The families support the diversity among them and challenges they all face, and they are very involved in each other’s lives (see Table 7.1). They teach their children the beliefs, values, and communication skills they need to face life’s challenges, to feel loved and secure, and to achieve success both professionally and personally (Ducharme, Doyle, & Markiewicz, 2002). These messages are essential for enriching family life and positively developing younger family members (Canary & Dainton, 2003; Guerrero, Andersen, & Afifi, 2013; Mansson, Myers, & Turner, 2010).