Deck 3: Family Communication Theories

Question 1

After Maggie and Jen get engaged, they want to post the good news on Facebook, but they also want to keep the secret "just between them" for a couple days. Which dialectic tension are they managing?

A) Inclusion-seclusion
B) Conventionality-uniqueness
C) Revelation-concealment
D) Autonomy-connection

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The day after they get engaged, Maggie wants to post their engagement on Facebook so that "all our friends can be excited for us!" Jen wants to wait a few days, but decides to go along with Maggie and post their engagement on Facebook. Which dialectical management strategy did they use?

A) Separation
B) Selection
C) Cyclic Alteration
D) Reframing

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Of the theories discussed in this course, which focus on the tensions inherent in family communication?

A) Circumplex model
B) Family systems
C) Narrative theory
D) Relational dialectics theory

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Angela and Alberto enjoy spending evenings together with their children sharing in deep conversations. Their children go to school and are encouraged to join school or community activities. They often have friends over for the weekend and even family vacations. How would you describe this family's boundaries?

A) Permeable internal and external boundaries.
B) Rigid internal and external boundaries.
C) Turbulent boundary coordination.
D) Permeable internal but not external boundaries.

Question 5

Jenn was brought up in a lower middle class household and becomes highly anxious when her partner buys expensive computer equipment or audio components. This
Difference is best understood through the following concept:

A) Systems theory
B) Symbolic interaction
C) Dialectical tensions
D) Boundary management

Question 6

Dialectical tensions are…

A) Dysfunctional
B) Ongoing
C) Developmental
D) Unhealthy

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT true from a social constructionism perspective?

A) People make sense of the world by developing their own model of how the world works.
B) Conversation serves to maintain reality.
C) Events and objects in the social world are made rather than found.
D) Relationships are created before communication pattterns can be established.

Question 8

While visiting home for Thanksgiving break, Lindsay decides to take the family dog, Parker, for a good long walk in the woods near her house while her parents are at work. The weather is colder than she expected, so she borrows her dad's winter coat for extra warmth, and as she puts in on, a pack of cigarettes falls out of the pocket. Lindsay is shocked, because her father quit smoking 20 years ago when hergrandfather died of lung cancer from smoking. Which of the following terms best describes what Lindsay is experiencing right now?

A) Boundary turbulence
B) Dialectical tension
C) Privacy dilemma
D) Rule coordination

Question 9

Bobby and Josephine are married and they work together. They have decided to maintain separation at work, though they are extremely close at home. Based on our discussion of dialectic theory, which management technique are they using?

A) Neutralization
B) Reframing
C) Selection
D) Segmentation

Question 10

Many stepfamilies experience questions about who is a "member" of the family and who is not. They are experiencing difficulty with ________.

A) Role negotiation
B) Alliances
C) Narrative performance
D) Boundary management

Question 11

Julia's grandmother often tells stories that explain why she moved to the U.S. after living for 20 years in Italy. What is her grandmother doing?

A) Recounting
B) Accounting
C) Performing
D) Perspective taking

Question 12

____ occurs when people demonstrate they are paying attention to and understanding other's stories.

A) Narration
B) Interactional storytelling
C) Communicated perspective taking
D) Recounting

Question 13

What is the main focus of narrative performance theory?

A) Tensions that occur in families.
B) Stories as a way of "doing family."
C) Setting rules for storytelling.
D) Understanding how family members modify communication.

Question 14

When Xavier is talking to his 4-year old nephew he uses simple vocabulary and animates his voice to maintain his nephew's interest. What type of adjustment is he making?

A) Convergence
B) Divergence
C) Dialect switching
D) Maintenance

Question 15

According to narrative theory, telling stories is a central component in human life

Question 16

Neutralizing dialectical tensions implies letting one person have his or her way.

Question 17

Through interacting together regularly, family members build a boundary between insiders and outsiders.

Question 18

Family members act upon the social reality they construct together.

Question 19

Social construction focuses on how meanings are created and negotiated by
family members based upon situational contexts.

Question 20

Divergent communication adapts to be more similar to others.

Question 21

Boundary turbulence arises as privacy rules are violated.

Question 22

Recounting involves explanations or reasons for people's behaviors or situations

Question 23

Communicated perspective taking is related to family adaptability and cohesion.

Question 24

Cyclic alteration is a management strategy that involves choosing one of the dialectical poles at varying times.

Question 25

Overaccommodation or underaccommodation can have unpleasant results