ABSTRACT
The authors of this chapter assess how persuasion has been conceptualized in the family, focusing primarily on parent-child and marital/romantic relationships. Theoretical perspectives on how communication is studied, along with exemplar research, is discussed for each of these two familial relationships (parent-child and marital/romantic relationships). Although scholars working in these two areas rarely cite each other’s research, this review reveals four similar findings. First, persuasive appeals typically are evaluated more favorably when family members address multiple, situationally relevant goals. Second, global relational qualities can moderate how particular methods of influence are assessed by family members. Third, persuasive sequences are diagnostic of the health of family relationships. Finally, families are embedded in cultural contexts that affect how persuasive episodes are enacted and evaluated.
