Family Communication and Consequences

Family communication represents the way that parents and children exchange verbal and non-verbal information. Healthy family communication leads to positive family dynamics and promotes the development of well-adjusted children and adults. Poor communication can be responsible for a variety of developmental and social issues, from poor academic performance to emotional troubles. In this paper I first present 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.

eek, if not every day." Many parents experience poor communication with their children but maintain there are not enough hours in the day to set aside such time. Experts maintain that parents must make communicating with children a bigger priority than work, "It's all about communication. If that becomes compromised because you're working too much, your kids will suffer," (Alonso, 2005, p. 76). Busy parents should contact children by phone or email from work, refuse to work weekends, and really listen when children talk to them. For children up to age 12, communication researchers argue that children are often unwilling to disclose unless they are prompted to do so. Such children often need to be prompted to disclose significant information to parents that cue them as to the goings on in their children's lives, as well as their emotions and feelings. Children during this age are often incapable of voicing such feelings or emotions unless it is in a relational manner. For example, the child may not have the intellect to voice his depression, but by asking him or her what kind of movie their day reminded them of such information can be revealed. This takes work and time from parents but develops real, honest and two-way comm