Communication dynamics and the Shannon-Weaver model in families

Communication Dynamics Within a Family

Communication within the family

Communication plays an important role in all relationships and individuals are provided with the ability to observe its effectiveness from a young age, within the family. Many families have developed identities that are being transferred from generation to generation and have gotten actively involved in trying to improve communication channels. Communication within the family can be efficient because of many reasons, some of the most important being related to teaching children about socialization and establishing intimate relationships.

In order to be able to comprehend the degree to which communication improves a relationship, it would be important for someone to attempt to observe situations in which it is very poor or lacking altogether. Throughout society one can observe individuals complaining about poor communication between themselves and other people or groups. Parents often emphasize the fact that their communication with their children is very poor and a reason for which children might be inclined to take on deviant attitudes. In their turn, children are putting across similar ideas as they are trying to highlight the fact that their parents are not willing to listen to them and simply attempt to impose their thinking on their children.

Communication between parents is among the most significant means of communication in the family. This form of communication can shape the family as a whole, can make the marital relationship stable, and can provide children with the ability to solve problems more effectively.

By taking into account the Shannon-Weaver model of communication, one can gain a more complex understanding of the importance of communication within the family and strategies individuals can employ in order to improve the way they communicate with other members of their family. Even with the fact that this particular model was devised around 1948, it can still be applied in contemporary situations, especially considering that it has experienced many adaptations during recent decades (Gosche).

Children as important communicators

In a great deal of families parents are inclined to project their thinking onto their children without acknowledging all messages that their children put across. The fact that individuals adapt to their family's 'language system' can sometimes be less effective in improving communication within the family. In a series of cases one can gain a complex understanding about other families and about the mechanisms that made change possible in those respective families. However, the same people might experience difficulty as they try to understand how their family works or about the tools they can use with the purpose to improve it.

There are numerous ideas in the contemporary society showing people how they should behave in their families and attempting to provide them with the attitudes they need in order to improve their relationship with other family members. The film "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" contains a series of ideas related to family communication. One of the central characters in the film, Willy Wonka, has had a negative experience with his family as a result of having a strict father. As a consequence, this particular character puts across lack of support with regard to families in general and attempts to influence others to agree to his point-of-view. Charlie's description of having a family that is warm and that is mainly interested in helping others this comes as a surprise to Willy. "Families vary, not just individually, but structurally and culturally." (Socha & Yingling 2) This makes it possible for someone to acknowledge that all family relationships need to be treated differently and need to be regarded from different perspectives. Even with the fact that two children lived in the same family throughout their childhood, they might have different experiences within the family and might have developed different styles of communication.

Developmental character in families

One of the most important elements in families is the developmental character. This concept is present in every family and it is responsible for shaping each individual's character and behavior. Families are in a state of constant evolution, with all families today being very different from how they were a decade ago. By taking this into account, one can attempt to find ways in which he or she can affect the way that his or her family experiences change. "Families use communication to create conditions for the development of many capacities on multiple levels (individuals, rational, group)." (Socha & Yingling 3)

In order for it to be efficient, communication does not necessarily have to be positive and cheery, as it has to occur via channels that are as effective as possible and that are thus making individuals within the family feel that their participation in all conversations influences the family in general. There are a series of character traits that someone can consider in his or her attempt to improve communication in his or her family. Honesty, appreciation of beauty, and a strong emphasis on learning can all help an individual in his efforts to improve his or her family. Even with this, the idea of a positive conversation largely depends on the way that each individual perceives the respective conversation and negotiation can occur frequently within a family as each family member attempts to impose his or her point-of-view (Socha & Yingling 4).

Intact families as a 'boring' environment

In many cases people are inclined to believe that an intact family is unlikely to experience communication problems or to display abnormalities when it comes to this topic. "Far from being a homogenous group exhibiting similar behaviors that lead to only positive outcomes for families, individual family members, and society at large, intact families exhibit a wide range of communication behaviors that are associated with both positive and negative outcomes for families and their members." (Vangelisti 180)

As previously mentioned, it would be impossible for someone to take a pattern that makes communication work in a family and apply it to a series of other families in hope that it is going to have a similar effect. Two different families can have different experiences as a result of adopting the same type of communication rules. In spite of this, there is a wide range of ideas that can help individuals in a family improve the way they communicate with each-other. Family communication patterns emerge as a consequence of the fact that individuals within a family are able to work with the purpose of creating channels that are stable and thus predictable. These respective patterns are created by having family members interact with each-other and sharing their personal social reality with each-other.

Successful family functioning

Communication is one of the most important concepts in a family because it provides individuals with the ability to express their needs and concerns to other individuals in the group. "Open and honest communication creates an atmosphere that allows family members to express their differences as well as love and admiration for one another." (Peterson & Green) One of the first things that someone needs to consider when trying to devise a more efficient communication channel in his or her family would be the series of unavoidable problems that every family comes across at least once. By acknowledging that problems do exist and that they affect family life in general, members of a family can be more likely to overcome these respective problems and to work together with the purpose to improve their relationships.

Poor communication has been found to have a number of negative effects on families. "Just as effective communication is almost always found in strong, healthy families, poor communication is usually found in unhealthy family relationships." (Peterson & Green) Because it is not clear or direct enough, poor communication makes it difficult for individuals in a family to understand each-other properly. These people can eventually come to have very unrealistic impressions of other members in their family simply because they do not communicate enough. Children in families that experience poor communication are more probable to experience behavioral problems. Conflict can become more common in such families and problem-solving processes can be very ineffective as a consequence of family members being unable to understand each-other's point-of-view. Good communication is also a sign of longer-lasting relationships, as "one researcher discovered that the more positively couples rated their communication, the more satisfied they were with their relationship five and a half years later." (Peterson & Green)

Instrumental and Affective Communication

Instrumental communication is the type of communication enabling family members to concentrate on typical family functions. For example, a parent can instruct a child with regard to the tasks that he or she needs to perform during a house cleaning process. In contrast, affective communication involves the emotions that each member of the family is experiencing. Individuals in the family share their emotions regardless of whether they are positive or negative and other family members are expected to sympathize and to provide the assistance their family needs in order to overcome problems they are experiencing.

In some families either instrumental or affective communication can be more successful than the other. In order for a family to be healthy, both types of communication need to be efficient, as only by doing this can someone connect with other members of his or her family without confusing them. When considering instrumental communication, individuals play an active role in improving the family environment through providing each-other with the guidance they need in order to be successful. If all members of a family are well-coordinated and if they are well-aware with their roles in the group, the family as a whole is more probable to have positive experiences. Furthermore, if the members of the same family are able to express their emotions openly, they are more likely to have a complex understanding of each-other and of the strategies they can use with the purpose of providing assistance in general. Communication thus makes it possible for them to have a good understanding of other family members and to know the strategies they need to use in situations when these respective family members are in need.

Friendship as the key to good communication

Communication is, to a certain degree, interdependent with friendship. In order for relationships to stay strong, individuals in a family would have to concentrate on becoming better friends. By doing this, they learn more about their family and about future techniques they can use in order to improve conditions for a particular member of their family.

Drs John and Julie Gottman devised several steps that individual should consider in order to improve their relationships through communication. The first step that people should consider would be to build love maps -- this means that partners should think about the psychological world of their peers and about a series of ideas that trigger particular emotions in them. Appreciation and respect can make the difference between a happy couple and one that is experiencing trouble. Even with this, people should also be unhesitant about expressing themselves openly rather than hiding their emotions in hope that they would only harm the relationship (About The Gottman Method).

Many individuals consider that conflict should be avoided at all costs in a relationship and this means that they are reluctant to express themselves every time they want to. However, conflict can also assist individuals in improving their relationship. "We say "manage" conflict rather than "resolve" conflict, because relationship conflict is natural and has functional, positive aspects." (About The Gottman Method)

Conclusion

All things considered, communication is one of the most important elements in a family. Even though the way a person communicates with other members in his or her family depends on that individual's perspective and on how he or she came to understand the idea of communication, it is essential for individuals to be able to comprehend the significance that improving their relationship with their family has on their well-being. In order for a family to be healthy, its members need to be able to both accept each-other's perspective and to be willing to express themselves whenever they feel that it would be important for them to do so.

Works cited:

Gosche, M. "Building Strong Families." Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://extension.missouri.edu/bsf/communicating/

Halberstadt, A.G. "Family expressiveness styles and nonverbal communication skills." Journal of Nonverbal Behavior FALL 1983, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp 14-26

Kahlbaugh, P.E. "NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND ADOLESCENTS: A STUDY OF APPROACH AND AVOIDANCE BEHAVIORS," Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~baljones/Nonverbal%20Communication.pdf

Lee, D. "Developing Effective Communications." Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://extension.missouri.edu/p/CM109

Peterson, R. & Green, S. "Families First-Keys to Successful Family Functioning: Communication." Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/350/350-092/350-092.html

Socha, T. & Yingling, J. "Families Communicating With Children." (Polity, 19 Jul 2010)

Vangelisti, A.L. "Handbook of Family Communication." (Psychology Press, 2004)

"About The Gottman Method," retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.gottman.com/about-gottman-method-couples-therapy/

"MODELS OF COMMUNICATION," Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://lms.oum.edu.my/e-content/OUMH1303KDP/content/24094922OUMH1303_OralCommunication_v1/OUMH1303_Topic1/OUMH1303_1_2.html