The Family Communication Sourcebook
- Lynn H. Turner - Marquette University, USA
- Richard West - Emerson College, USA
Key Features:
- Illustrates the breadth and depth of contemporary research: A combination of groundbreaking research and reviews of past research in family communication allows readers to gain thorough knowledge in various areas. This reflective review of family communication provides historical perspective and illustrates the development of the field.
- Uses a focused organizational pattern: Divided into four parts, the book comprehensively examines Defining and Interpreting the Family, Theoretical and Methodological Considerations, Internal Family Dynamics, and External Structural Frameworks. The first two chapters provide very different approaches to defining family, offering opportunities for active discussion of the limits of the definition of family.
- Extensively reviews theoretical and methodological approaches: The strength of this collection is in its comprehensive examination of family communication theory and research. In addition, a framework for doing research in family communication is provided.
This is the ultimate resource for scholars, students, and practitioners looking for cutting-edge family communication scholarship.
"The book's most distinctive feature is revealed in its third and fourth sections, where the editors pair chapters that address specific communication issues. These pairings--a review chapter and a fresh exemplar--address topics such as conflict, discipline, rituals, the impact of the media or workplace, religion, schools, and health care. Summing up: Highly recommended."
"There is no question that this volume represents the best, most up-to-date compendium about family communication available to advanced students in various disciplines, especially family therapists who desire a substantive background for their practice. There are extremely relevant topics that deserve the attention of family-oriented scholars, researchers, and clinicians. There is no question, in my opinion, that this volume is a substantial contribution to the field of family communication. Once could go as far as asserting that it constitutes a milestone in the evolution of theories, models, and research not only in the field of communication but also in the sociological and psychological study of the family."