Part
I:
Hello
everyone, here is the link to the article that you will be reading for this
Thursday's class on Family Communication:
file:///Users/hayleynaphen/Downloads/77684654.pdf
This
article is titled, Family Closeness and Domestic Abuse Among Caribbean
and South American Women in South Florida. The article examines the
relationship between family structure and levels of closeness with domestic
abuse in Latino households. As you read, please pay attention and take note of
the following concepts:
- familismo
- long-lasting
relationships
- parent-child
relations
- intra-family
violence
- attachment
- abuse
- protective effects of long-lasting family relations
The
issue of domestic abuse is an unfortunate reality for many people around the
world. Though the article focused its research on Latino families, this issue
applies to all different types of cultures and is a very real and prevalent
issue. Family relations and how family members communicate with one another
plays a huge role in how people handle conflict in the domestic setting, and
whether or not it escalates to any kind of domestic abuse, including emotional,
physical, and sexual abuse. A specific example where we can see this issue take
place was in the media in 2014, when Ray Rice, an NFL football player for the
Baltimore Ravens, was accused of assaulting his then-fiance, Janay Palmer. He
was accused of physically abusing her and knocking her unconscious. This type
of abuse and domestic violence is a real issue in family communication.
Part
III- Post Class Discussion
Hi
again! I really enjoyed the conversation that we had last Thursday's class; it
was really interesting and insightful to hear all about your opinions in terms
of communicating in families! As a refresher, here are some of the key take
away points from the class discussion on 11/10/16:
- Technology has the potential to both inhibit and encourage communication in families
- Fathers are more affectionate with their sons today than previous generations
- Many
working-class and African Americans describe their mothers as strong and
preparing them for life struggles
- Gender Schema Theory: Children selectively choose
stimuli that seem consistent with their gender identity
- Younger siblings model older
siblings’ gendered behavior
- Domestic Labor: Even though
housework is getting closer to being balanced between men and women,
surveys show that there is still a difference of 15 hours worth of
housework
- Conflict Communication:
Demand/Withdrawal Conflict Pattern- The partner who most wants change will
demand through complaint, criticism, etc. And the partner who does not
change will resist this demand by withdrawing in some way
- Family member closeness as
protective factor in abuse: Having a long-lasting relationship with
any member of the family is negatively associated with reporting abuse
during a lifetime (protective factor)
- The strongest protective
effect is having a close relationship with a mother, then by a father
(more so than sibling or partner relationships)
Patricia Hill Collins is a Sociology Professor at the University of Maryland, and she describes an ideal of motherhood that helps to prepare children to face discrimination. In this respect, Patricia moves away from the idealized wholesome, nurturing mother, to one that is strong and a powerful role model for their children. These kinds of ideas that she puts forth in her book, "Black Feminist Thought," make it easier for people to see our own gendered expectations, so that we can try to change these ideas.
Some questions from our discussion are:
- What role do you think technology plays in
communication in families? Overall, does it have a positive or negative
effect?
- Thinking about your own family, are there ways in which
you communicate differently with certain members than others? Provide
examples.
- How
do you think culture affects communication in families? Can you provide
specific examples?
Hey Hayley,
ReplyDeleteI personally feel that technology has a positive effect on communication within families. It allows for those members of the family that don't live close to one another to still be included in family talk, gossip, and news. For me and my family, were really not all crazy into technology but we all have a phone where we can FaceTime, Skype, Facebook one another, etc. This was very important to me when I was studying abroad last semester. I needed a way to talk to my sister everyday and see my nieces "face-to-face" and the technology of video chatting via internet helped me get through my rough times. Also, while being away in college, my siblings and I get to chat casually in our group chat instead of committing to talking to one another on the phone, which we all know will take up to at least an hour of our time. Another instance when technology has benefitted me in a positive way is an app called Musical.ly. This is an app where people can make home videos or dub smashes and post them to their own page. I get to follow my niece's page and see the videos she creates. This keeps me updated on her life and how grown up she's getting. These are some examples on how I communicate differently with the members of my family. I feel that a phone call home to mom will keep me updated on what the whole family is up to because for my family, mom knows everything about everyone. When it comes to my nieces, like I've mentioned, more advanced technology like snapchat and musical.ly is how I mainly talk to them, and for my siblings, texting and calling is usual. We're not really surprised if we get a phone call from one another or no text for weeks. We just understand that our lives are very busy. The only way to talk to my grandma is by calling her, which she expects many phone calls a week. It gets hard to communicate with her efficiently because she has trouble hearing me through the phone. I do believe face-to-face real time communication is most desirable and beneficial, but when that's not an option, I think technology comes into help positively.
Hi April, I can really see where you are coming from in terms of technology being a really effective for families to communicate these days. I can definitely relate to a lot of what you have said. I also studied abroad and would Skype different members of my family while I was away; I definitely took that technology for granted while I was in Europe, and how even ten years ago it was not that easy and convenient to communicate.
DeleteThe app, Musical.ly, also sounds like a great way to communicate, especially with the younger generation. I do not and never have had a smart phone, so for me, I am left out of Snapchat, Instagram, and other various forms that my sisters and other extended members of my family use to communicate. Though I personally cannot access this type of communication, I think that it really does encourage people to try and communicate more and stay in touch more so than just catching up at family visits a couple of times a year. In this sense I think that technology has really expanded communication in families, because people are talking more often to one another, especially with members in our extended families.
I have found that in families where technology is used, technology takes kids away from interacting with other family members. Technology has a negative effect on society because it leads to kids being distracted and not communicating with their parents. A point was bought up about how it can be beneficial for parents to text their children when dinner is ready. However, this would not be beneficial. People are becoming comfortable with resorting to "texting" someone and they are missing the face to face interactions. In my own family, since I am away at school I find that I FaceTime my parents frequently, but my brother and sister do not answer as consistently. For them, there is more face to face communication and texting. A point to bring up would be that FaceTime is actually face to face because it is a video, so it wouldn't be placed under the same umbrella as texting would. For my siblings, I get a bigger response when I either to text them or, like I said before, am actually with them.
ReplyDeleteCulture plays a huge role in communication with families. I come from an Italian family background where we are always having family get togethers, cooking food, and talking. However, I know that other cultures could have more quiet family dinners and may not place family at as high a value. I find that this is a case with my friends as well. I know Italian families (among other cultures) who have dinners that last 2-4 hours and other cultures who have dinners only for 20 minutes. It is important to say that it also varies within the culture as well.
According to Epstein, Bishop, Ryan, Miller, and Keitner, family communication refers to the verbal and non-verbal information exchanged between family members. This gets me thinking about how different families communicate and what they are "used to" and familiar with. Some families require constant verbal communication while others, as stated before, utilize more nonverbal communication. With that being said, I hold strong that technology does not count as nonverbal communication.
https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/350/350-092/350-092.html
Hi Jaclyn, I also agree with you! Though I think that technology can be beneficial for communicating in families, it can also really inhibit real life, face-to-face communication, especially for the younger generation where technology is so integrated into all aspects of their lives. I have seen an example of these negative consequences with a family that I have babysat for years. The youngest daughter will throw tantrums if she does not get to play with her ipad before dinner for example, and the parents do not really know how to handle this problem. This type of addictive behavior is becoming a real problem in our society, and I do not think people know how to wean their kids off of their technology addiction.
DeleteI also think that you bring up an interesting point that technology does not include nonverbal behaviors, but what about when you can actually see other people through the use of technology such as FaceTime or Skype? Facial expressions, body language, etc. are all forms of nonverbal behaviors, and people can detect these behaviors when using apps like FaceTime. Are you sure that this could not be considered as a form of nonverbal communication? There is no one correct answer, but it is interesting to consider these situations and issues from a communication standpoint.
I think that you bring up a great point. If there is that face-to-face communication (such as FaceTime) then I do consider it verbal communication. What I specifically think isn't nonverbal communication is texting and other modalities where you do not actually see the person.
DeleteAfter reviewing your article and listening to your presentation I have a better understanding and outlook on technology.
ReplyDelete-What role do you think technology plays in communication in families? Overall, does it have a positive or negative effect?
Overall, technology has both a negative and positive effect on communication in families. Using the example I said in class, when you have a more intrusive person technology is a better way to communicate with them because that is when they feel more comfortable. The only time it becomes negative is when it is being done because we are lay, etc. Also, face to face communication is key in family and other conflicts in life so technology being the main factor for communicating for some people can become an issue.
-Thinking about your own family, are there ways in which you communicate differently with certain members than others? Provide examples.
Yes. In my family, I tend to find it easier to speak to them through technology because we are all active people and there are rare times that we all have the ability to be together and speak about things. Also, as stated above, my youngest sister is very intrusive so when I want to speak to her technology is the only way, and I do not see that as a problem because at least I am able to speak to her!
-How do you think culture affects communication in families? Can you provide specific examples?
Culture effects communication in families in a few different ways. One way, is that sometimes there is almost like a "mixed" culture in families who are born and raised elsewhere, as compared to their children who are born and raised in America. For example, one of my highschool friends had this in her family and it caused alot of error in communicating with her parents because they were alot less understanding of the "American" ways, and it made it hard for her and her siblings to communicate efficiently on certain topics.
Hi, I enjoyed your post. I would answer some of the question from our discussion.
ReplyDelete1. For the first question, I think technology in the family communication does have both positive and negative aspects. For people who live far from their family members, technology has a good roles. My family lives in Japan, but I often use Skype and other apps to talk with my parents. Therefore, although family members live in different countries, technologies make people to stay close. On the other hand, it is sometimes very bad. Before the technology developed, children focused on the conversation with their family because there was nothing to bother them except homework. However, today most children have access to the Internet and they do not focus on family connection anymore. All the time they text to their friends and they even think that their parents bother them to create connections with their friends. I think parents should control them to use the Internet or device.
2. I am the youngest in my family so I do not change my behavior to all of the members of my family. I have two older sisters, and the middle sister changes her behavior to me sometimes. Because she is older than me and she knows more things and experiences, so she becomes like a teacher sometimes to teach me something. I like her characteristics because it means that she loves me.
3. I think culture affects family communication. Japan is patriarchal society, so females have to respect males. The traditional way of thinking is almost disappeared today, but still females do most house chores. There is a good example. When family members serve the meal, they must start with the father, and he does not have to do anything but sit in the table and wait the meals coming out. Father earn money to raise children, so it is not unusual to respect their dad. Also, because of the tradition, children tend to listen to their parents well. Sometimes Japanese cultures have tedious manners to follow, but I think all of them have meaning, so I think it is good.