Dissertation Information for Lori Ann Byers NAME: - Lori Ann Byers
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- [No Discipline Recorded]
SCHOOL:
- Ohio University (USA) (1997)
ADVISORS: - None COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected
Title: Telling the stories of our lives: Relational maintenance as illustrated through family communication
Abstract: "Relational maintenance has emerged as a popular topic of study when investigating communication in interpersonal relationships. However, no studies have ever investigated relational maintenance in families. This study examines the role of family stories in communicating a family culture and maintaining the family.
One hundred people participated in interviews about their family stories; an additional 312 people completed a survey concerning the functions of family stories. Bulmer's (1979) analytic induction method was used to identify the categories of the reported topics and functions of family stories. Two typologies resulted from this study. Six themes were discovered in the family stories told by the participants, with the subcategories in parentheses: (1) Traumatic Events (Survival and Death), (2) Good Deeds, (3) Birth, (4) Coupling (Meeting and Turning Points), (5) Roles, and (6) Vacations. In addition, four categories of family story functions were identified, with the subcategories in parentheses: (1) To Know Who We Are and What We Value, (2) To Maintain Us as a Family (Bonding, Importance of Family, Predestination, Integration, Coping), (3) To Laugh, and (4) To Remember the Past. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that three underlying categories supported the four family story function categories: Relational Maintenance, Identity, and Values.
Results of this study suggest that family stories communicate the family culture and function to maintain the family. Family stories aid in the creation of the family identity, in addition to teaching the values of the family."
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MPACT Scores for Lori Ann Byers A = 0
C = 2
A+C = 2
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:21:45
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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