Family Review

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Family Review

Introduction

In the book Perspective on Family Communication by Turner and West, there are

several themes about a family that needs are discussed. These include the theme of the

nuclear family, the theme of gender, the theme of power, and the theme of work in the

family. In identifying these four main themes in the book aids in a straightforward

discussion of the book and helps in the understanding of the family set up. The text

contains an in-depth emphasis on the role that communication does in the process of

solving issues that affect a family. Through thorough research, the book Perspectives on

Family Communication reflects the research literature on family communication. This

book is, therefore, necessary for the understanding of a family hence the need for

studying and understanding the concepts and main themes available in the book. It is for

these reasons that the four main issues mentioned above are discussed in the paper below.

There are various publications on the internet and books concerning family review. Some

of these are either negative compared to the themes on the text highlighted while some of

the reports and publications are in agreement with the ideas about the family in the book

Perspective on Family Communication. It is essential to ignore the harmful publications

and articles and take in the positive ones. This helps in better understanding of the

family.

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Themes

The first theme in the book is the theme of a nuclear family. A nuclear family

who may also be referred to as a conjugal family or an elementary family is often

described as a family consisting of the two parents and their children (Miller 2000). In the

course book, a nuclear family of a father working in an outside job and a mother working

in the inside position and living with the children is mentioned which they referred to as

the traditional nuclear family. They also said a contemporary nuclear family which

according to them is a modern family where the father stays at home with the children

and the mother works. There is also a mention of the dual-career family where they stated

that both parents in a family are working. The concept of nuclear family in the book is

essential to us as we learn the different types of nuclear families and the different ways to

treat families. It is therefore vital for people to understand the different kinds of nuclear

family and their definitions. It has helped a lot to understand the different kinds of

nuclear family. The traditional nuclear family is seen to be the most common types of

families. However, the dual nuclear families are also increasing day in day out. The

reasons for this rise could be the desire to be more independent by both parents and the

belief that life goes on well when families are affluent and never lack. The love for a

family's child may help in motivating the parents to work harder for their children to have

a better life than they did when they were young. The modern nuclear families are rare in

the modern day life since most cultures believe that the father has to work and put bread

on the table for their children. It is however not wrong to have such a family as it is a

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recognized type of family. The book Perspectives on Family Communication has

therefore helped in solving the question of what kind of nuclear families exist.

The second central theme in the book by Turner and West is about gender.

Gender is broadly discussed in the book as what it means to be a man or a woman.

Gender roles are given according to who is the father and who is the mother. The

physical appearances are also discussed where it is stated that fathers might appear

masculine, i.e. they tend to show less of their bodies compared to the females. Fathers are

considered the breadwinners of a family and are expected to do so each day. It is however

mentioned in the book that men's roles are continually decreasing as they are actively

involved in raising children rather than their usual expected activities. Parental care

mostly begins with the mothers (McHale, Updegraff and Tucker 2000). They are

expected to be the first to bond with their children in a family. They are responsible for

the transmission of values and the community senses to their children. Women in a

family are also expected to prepare food for the family, make house arrangements, clean

the house and the compound in which the family stays at and do other chores related in

the house. Female children have to look after their toddler siblings whenever the mother

is busy. Boys are expected to develop and learn their roles as males as early as they

could, but they are not allowed to move out when they are still immature. Children are

seen to acquire acceptable behavior and expectations from their parents. Though the roles

of the father are mentioned, they tend to level up and start nurturing their children thus,

picking up some of the functions of the females. In a family, it is essential that both

parents take part in the role of communication and socialization messages. The book

Perspective on Family Communication, therefore, enlightens the public of the gender and

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gender roles in the family which is an essential aspect of the upbringing of new

families.

The theme of power in a family is also discussed in the book by Turner and West.

According to the two authors, power is defined as the capacity to influence another

person’s goals, rules, roles and patterns of communication (Turner and West 2013). They

have given examples two types of power in a family. They have mentioned that the

parents are the more powerful individuals in the family. In the absence of parents, older

children tend to be the most powerful in a family (Srinivarsan and Habt 2005). The

powerful ones are allowed to make rues and make the less powerful ones work in a way

that will favor their desires. Power tends to either negatively influence or positively affect

the functioning of a family. The two types of authority identified in the book are manifest

power and latent power. Manifest power is present in decision making because it involves

imposing one’s wills on other people. Latent power exists when the wishes of the most

powerful are anticipated for and met. They also referred to potential power as unobtrusive

power. Having ability in a family leads to respect from the family members. Parents

should use the powers bestowed to them by the responsibilities they gave themselves and

use it to ensure that their families run efficiently and in an organized way. The use of

power should also be manifest in the disciplinary process of the children. However, not

all parents can use this power bestowed to them for the positive growth of their children.

Understanding the theme of power as explained in Perspective on Family

Communication is therefore crucial for an efficient pass of a message between family

members. Parents and older siblings should use the ability bestowed to them by power

their ordinal positions in the family positively. It is also important to mention that power

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should be used in a family for positive cognition and development of a family rather than

the harmful use of power for personal fulfillment of goals and desires by as a result of

other people.

The theme of a role in the family has been discussed extensively in the book by Turner

and West. Roles may be defined as socially constructed patterns of behavior and sets of

expectations that provide each a position in a family (Turner and West 2013). Role taking

which is described as deciding to take and play a particular role is often considered as an

intrapersonal strategy in a specific family. They also defined role evaluation. According

to them, it refers to how one decides to play the role he is given, or he has chosen well.

They mentioned that it is usually based on both intrapersonal and interpersonal processes.

In their book, they discussed role messages which they described as articulations about

changes family roles are undergoing. Role allocation in the family is done using a role

assignment pattern. This helps the family in distributing and behavior. The authors

defined role expectations as internalized sets of beliefs about how one will function in a

particular role. They mentioned about role conflicts in which they described as a

condition in which a person faces incompatible wish to enact the same role behavior.

They categorized role conflict into intrapersonal conflicts which they described as

conflicts which occur internally within one family member. They emphasized that this

happens when a person is called to perform a role that incompatible with his or her

perceptions, beliefs, or values (Duckworth and Buzzanell, 2009). They have mentioned

about gender role socialization which they described as processes that pertain to the

process by which men and women learn what roles are appropriate to their sex.

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Therefore, the theme of roles in a family is well described in the book by Turner and

West.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Perspective on Family Communication has extensively defined and

mentioned on the essential themes that affect the modern day family. These themes are

roles in the family, gender, power, and nuclear family. By defining this, the authors were

able to impact a change in the people's views about the family and internal family

communication. It is therefore advisable for all scholars and graduates to read this book

as it helps in the positive upbringing of a family in the modern day society. 

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Works Cited

Duckworth, J. D., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2009). Constructing Work-Life Balance and

Fatherhood: Men’s Framing of the Meanings of Both Work and Family.

Communication Studies, 60(5), 558–573

Golden, A.G. (2007) Father’s frames for childrearing: Evidence toward a “masculine

concept of caregiving.” Journal of Family Communication, 7, 265-285.

Levine, T.R., & Boster, F.J. (2001). The effects of power and message variables on

compliance. Communication Monographs, 68, 28-46.

Miller, A. (2000, March 20). Your room is a pigsty. Newsweek, 75-76.

McHale, S. M., Updegraff, K. A., & Tucker, C. J. (2000). Step in or stay out? Parents’

roles in adolescent siblings’ relationships. Journal of Marriage & Family, 62(3),

746–760.

Srinivasan, S., & Bhat, C. (2005). Modeling household interactions in daily in-home and

out-of-home maintenance activity participation. Transportation, 32(5), 523–544.

Turner, L. H., & West, R. (2013). Perspectives on Family Communication (Fourth ed.).

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

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