ABSTRACT
Communication in Family Life I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. (Anonymous, from a poster)
INTRODUCTION
Communication is at the heart of expressive family processes. Remember that family processes are strategies that families use to achieve goals, maintain ideological focus, and cope with life’s changes and turbulence. While some of those strategies are hidden from view, many goal-attaining strategies are more visible and expressive. How family members communicate, what they communicate about, and how they resolve differences are examples of these expressive family processes. In this chapter, we explore the power of family communication. In addition, we discuss several communication principles along with suggestions for making family communication stronger.
