Family Communication and Consequences
Family communication represents the way that parents and children exchange verbal and non-verbal information. Healthy family communication leads to healthy family dynamics and promotes the development of healthy children and adults. Poor communication can be responsible for a variety of developmental and social issues, from poor academic performance to emotional acting out in children and adults. An introduction discusses a general overview of family communication and its benefits for parents and children. The research also provides definitions related to family communication, including interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, masked and clear communication, direct and indirect communication, and instrumental and affective communication. Following the definitions, an in-depth literature review is provided for all phases of family lifecycle development, including infancy, early and middle childhood, adolescence and old age. A summary addresses the main findings for each phase of family development pertaining to healthy communication. A conclusion offers insights and understanding gained by the researcher from this literature review and recommendations for future research based on them.
The family is a dynamic unit. In contemporary society, sound family communication is even more critical in helping to build strong, healthy families, since many families are separated by divorce, distance, or busy schedules. Family communication is vital to developing strong marital, parent-child, and sibling partnerships. Epstein et al. (1993, p. 138) define family communication as ôthe way verbal and non-verbal information is exchanged between family members.ö Family communication is very important because it permits family members to express their needs, wants and concerns to each other. However, family communication is a two-way exchange that involves not just talking but also l...