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CHAPTER 4
COMMUNICATION PATTERNS AND THE CREATION OF FAMILY
IDENTITY
TRUE/FALSE
manage their daily lives.
intrapersonally with his or her inner self.
with their cultural heritage.
negotiation is needed to arrive at a mutually agreed upon worldview.
powerful influence on one’s personality.
distressed couple.
old family patterns.
the family rather than the family’s ethnic background.
they undermine open communication patterns and promote unhealthy
alliances among members.
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parenting strategies as adults
to coordinate their meanings and partners have very few
misunderstandings.
identities than nonverbal messages.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. This term describes the flow of messages from one family member to one or more
other members or significant others outside the family. Feedback operates to
regulate the direction of messages up, down, or across which of the following?
D. Pattern
2. American families have been called because of the wide range of
communication media they used to stay connected:
3. The family or families in which a person was raised is called:
A. Natural family
4. Each couple that lives together for a period of time develops its own set of
relationship agreements. What are these called?
A. Networks
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5. Family communication over time takes on definite patterns, depending upon how
the family organizes its activities. As working parents, Brian and Peggy call their
housekeeper to relay separate messages to their son when he comes home from
school. Which answer best describes this message sending?
A. Chain network
6. When families form a “conspiracy of silence” around a major topic that people cannot
bear to talk about, the following frequently is the result:
D. Members will continuously try to break through the boundary.
7. Why is ethnicity discussed as an influence in family communication?
A. We see and relate to the world partly through cultural lenses.
8. Constitutive rules do not:
A. Define what counts as communication.
9. Family rules are heavily influenced by:
D. None of the above
10. Which network provides the maximum use of feedback?
A. Y-network
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11. Which statement is true?
D. Gossip about family secrets does little harm over the course of time.
12. There are different kinds of secrets. For example, Jane and her brothers were told of
their parents’ previous marriages, but they know not to tell this to their friends. Which
kind of secret does this exemplify?
D. Sweet secret
13. According to Imber-Black, the following example represents what type of secret?
“Mom has been involved in an affair with our neighbor, Jake, and my sister and I
know Dad doesn’t suspect.”
D. Dangerous secret
14. Gottman’s marital research identifies a particularly corrosive nonverbal message
used in couple conflict:
D. Humming while partner is speaking
15. According to Vangelisti, secrets serve definite functions in families. Which one of
the following is not one?
A. Privacy
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16. Which of the following is not true about family stories?
D. Stories can determine norms in a family culture.
17. Which of the following is not a function of family stories?
A. Enhance family memories
18. According to Dickson’s research on couple storytelling, couples who engage in
validating and individual storytelling are called:
D. Traditionals
19. Carrie and Craig have been married for two years, and have experienced quite a few conflict
episodes that become physically violent. Carrie’s cousin, Doug, lives in the apartment below
them, and knows about their violent fighting, but has not told anyone about their secret
because he’s afraid to get them in trouble with the law. What type of family secret is this?
D. Toxic
20. Jen is an electrician and was recently diagnosed with degenerative arthritis, a condition that
will likely affect her ability to effectively do her job. Jen’s husband doesn’t tell anyone so
that her employers don’t find out, just in case they will hold it against her. Which function of
family secrets is this upholding?
A. Bonding
21. Kristen is a senior in high school and very nervous about leaving home for her first semester
at UNL. In order to make her feel better, her mother tells her a story about her first semester at
college. She describes how she got homesick, but still stayed in school. Which functions of
family stories does this story demonstrate?
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D. To provide stability
22. The Murphys strongly identify with their Irish heritage, and thus celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
by wearing green and orange, baking Irish soda bread, and making Irish stew, just as those in
Ireland do. Which type of family ritual are these?
D. Family traditions
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Take a position on the following statement and defend it. “The family-of-origin
provides a blueprint for the ways its members form future families.”
2. Describe the impact of an important secret on the development of patterns of
closeness or distance within a real or fictional family. Use specific examples.
3. There are six questions that outline the lessons that family stories may teach.
Choose one of those questions and describe a family story in your family that
answers the question. How has this story impacted your life and/or shaped your
identity as a member of the family? What does this example reveal to you about the
importance of stories in the formation of family identities and why?