UNIT 5 COMMUNICATION ROLES
AND RULES DEVELOPMENT
SY5; SS18-19; VE6
Defining communication roles
II. Communication and children’s roles in
families
I.
Chapter SY5
Overview:
Roles &
Rules
A.
B.
Birth order
Age-related roles
III. Gender roles
IV. Children’s roles in response to family
dysfunction
V. Family governance
A.
B.
C.
Family power
Family rules
Rethinking “discipline”
VI. Positive communication and role/rule
development
 Role– set of expected behaviors, or a
SY5: Key terms
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framework of instructions that guide
individuals playing a particular part
Role play—practicing a set of expected
behaviors
Gender role—set of expected behaviors
organized by masculinity and femininity
Parentification—process of children
overplaying role of parent
Rule—Followable prescription of what
behavior are obligated, preferred, or
prohibited in social situations
(Schimanoff, 1980)
Family governance—structures of
interaction where leaders and followers
set goals, make policies, develop
procedures, and direct behaviors
 Power—ability to act to affect
SY5: Key terms
something or someone
 Power bases– resources used in
power interactions
 Power processes—how power is
used interaction
 Power outcomes—result of power
processes– decisions, solutions,
rules, procedures, as well as
affective and relational
dimensions
 “New discipline” as orchestration
and direction of behaviors
SY5:
Considered
 Birth-order and age—
 What are your experiences with birth
order and age? Did they affect your
communication growing up? How?
 Inclusion/exclusion struggles?
 Gender roles—
 How did your families manage male-
female dialectic as they interacted with
you during childhood?
 What are your views on gender role
socialization? How will you teach your
children about their own gender as well
as their opposite?
SY5:
Considered
 Children playing “adult” roles—
 When is this appropriate?
 In what kinds of situations?
 Legal issues?
 Family governance—
 How much say should children have in
family governance?
 About what? When?
 What kinds of family rules did you
experience growing up that did not
make sense to you? Why?
 How might we begin to teach children
about “authority”
SY5:
Considered
 Reframing “discipline” as orchestrating
and directing potential (Socha, 2006)
 What are my goals for my child in this
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situation?
What does “success” look like in this
situation?
What factors will reduce chances of
success? Increase chances of success?
What particular behaviors do I want my
child to replicate in this situation?
How will I reinforce desired behaviors?
How will I manage obstacles reducing
chances of success?
 Increasing family “complexity”
Stepfamily prevalence
II. Step-family conceptualization
I.
Chapter SS18
Overview:
As incomplete institutions
A.
Roles, Rules, &
Step-Families
1.
B.
Role ambiguity (legal, social)
As culturally stigmatized
III. Step-families & schools
IV. Step-families & health-care
V. Step-families & legal System
VI. Research directions
Step-family as “incomplete” or as
“culturally stigmatized”—


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Chapter SS18
Considered
How do we learn about step-family life?
What other models might be more
useful? Blended family? Other?
Step-families & schools


What might be done to facilitate
communication in step-parent/school
relationships?
Step-families & health-care

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How should step-parents’ roles be
defined in terms of communicating
about children’s medical issues?
Step-families & legal System


Step-parent as “legal stranger” or
“provider of resources”?
Research directions


What ideas do you have to “fix” role
definition issues of “Step—”?
I.
Chapter SS19
Overview:
Same-Sex
Foster Families
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Same sex parenting/foster
parenting
Need for Foster Families
Bias and Challenges
Five Case Studies
Conclusions/Directions
A.
B.
Range of relationships: agency
workers, foster children, birth
parents, previous foster parents,
teachers, daycare workers, judges,
Struggles with birth families
Same sex parenting/foster parenting

3million gay fathers; 5 million lesbian mothers
500,000+ children in foster care
Many exhibit emotional and behavioral problems
(from mild to severe)
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Chapter SS19 :
Need for Foster Families

Same sex parents willing to consider caring for
children with severe emotional/behavioral
problems

Considered
Bias and Challenges

Face same challenges as all parents, and:

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Licensing biases
Taking about sexuality (with childcare workers, children,
birth family, others)
Five Case Studies
Conclusions/Directions
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Communication issues in a range of relationships:
agency workers, foster children, birth parents,
previous foster parents, teachers, daycare workers,
judges, etc.
Ongoing struggles with birth families
VanEvra6
Overview:
I.
Role of Media
in Children’s
Role
Development
III.
II.
IV.
V.
VI.
Media as “Participant” in family life
Role portrayals
Stereotypes (Gender, Occupational,
Racial/Ethnic)
Effects on development
Developmental and gender
differences affecting role
development
Counter-stereotypic portrayals and
media literacy
Media as “Participant” in family life
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
VanEvra6
Considered
How much influence?
Role portrayals
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Who is heroic? Villainous?
Stereotypes (Gender, Occupational,
Racial/Ethnic)
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Where are these NOT happening in TV?
Effects on development

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Depends on availability of other models
Developmental and gender differences
affecting role development
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What shows for whom?
Counter-stereotypic portrayals and
media literacy
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“Clarissa explains all”
Others?