ABSTRACT

Given the significant role family plays in our lives, it is not surprising that scholarship has been devoted to understanding its complexities. Whereas multiple theories have been used for understanding family dynamics, an intergroup perspective offers a relatively novel yet important framework for understanding the intersection between family, identity/ies and communication. The objective of this chapter is to articulate an “intergroup perspective on families” with the hope of directing future research on family functioning and communication. First, we position family as an intergroup domain highlighting the utility of social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), the common ingroup identity model (Gaertner et al., 2000), and communication accommodation theory (Shepard, Giles, & LePoire, 2001) in understanding family dynamics. Second, building off earlier work on the intergroup aspect of families (e.g., Harwood, Soliz, & Lin, 2006; Soliz, 2010), we elaborate on the social group dimensions and formative distinctions that may illuminate group-based dynamics within the family. In the third section, we offer a new conceptual model for understanding the family’s influence on intergroup relations by positioning families as a site of intergroup contact and socialization.