KemptonFamilyCollage
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Transcript of KemptonFamilyCollage
Family
An Intimate Look Into The
Erickson/Foster/Joyner/Foster-Adams/Kempton
Family
General ly, fami ly can be ident i f ied as
“networks o f people who share the i r l ives over
l ong per iods o f t ime bound by t ies o f marr iage ,
b lood , law, commitment , l egal o r o therwise ,
who cons ider themselves as fami ly and who
share a s igni f i cant h istory and ant i c ipated
future o f funct ioning as a fami ly” (Galv in , e t
al . , 2012 , p 8 ) .
For the purposes of this project, I will
explore my immediate family (husband
and children as well as that with my
parents and siblings).
All quotes and textual references uses text: Galvin,
K.L., Bylund, C.L., and Brommel, B.J. (2012).
Family Communication Cohesion and Change. 8th Ed.
Glenview, IL: Pearson Education, Inc.
A photo f rom Easter Sunday back in 1997 . In th is
pic ture conta ins members f rom both my mother and
fa ther ’s s ide o f the fami ly* . A l l aunts and unc les as
we l l as cous ins are present f rom both fami l ies . At th is
po int , however, there are a few members who are no
l onger part o f the “ fami ly” due to d ivorce .
*Photo is missing my mother’s parents
Foster Family: Annual trip to Funtown/Splashtown
My father’s parents, one of his brothers and most of the grandchildren
and great grandchildren. Also in this picture are two of my siblings
and their partners (one homosexual relationship and the other
bringing a child from a previous relationship to the family); my
cousin’s daughter and her half siblings; and my other uncle’s girlfriend
and her grandchildren.
This is demonstrative of the extended definition of “family”
Foster Family
To the left: my father,
and his brother’s, Uncle
Guy and Uncle Steve
To the right: my father’s
parents, Nana and Grampy
Erickson Family
Below in the back row: Uncle Dick,
Uncle Bob, and Uncle Donald
Middle: Mom, Aunts Cindy & Eileen
Front: Nana and Grampy
Above: My mother’s parents and most
of their grandchildren and great
grandchildren.
Family To the right: my mom
and dad
To the left: Missy “Squeezie”,
Mikie, Me, and Dawn (oldest
sister)
The Four of Us
&
Our Families
Joyners
Steve, Dawn and Addison
Fosters
Tara and Adrianna Thomas, Mikie,
Brady, Griffin, Michael and Meghan
Kemptons
Chris, Me, Logan and
Paycen
Foster-Adams
Steen and Squeezie
More of My “Family” Some members are b io log i ca l / lega l
and o thers are not
( there are s t i l l some not inc luded)
Level of Cohesion Cohesive
Connected
Level of Adaptability
Rigid Families Structured Flexibility Flexible Chaotic Families
FOSTER KEMPTON
While I grew up, as a Foster, in a very structured
environment, I find myself as a parent (Kempton
train), I am more of in the middle of structured and
flexible. Having young children contributes some to
this positioning.
Boundaries
Our family (with my parents and siblings as well we that
with my husband and children) preach and practice open
boundaries; flexibility, free flow of information and
exploration of differences have been and are encouraged.
Interdependence While growing up and even as adults who have started
our own families, there is still an interdependent.
While the degree of interdependence has decreased,
the change one member makes influences us all,
especially emotionally
Having a young family, with daughter 5 and 3 years of
age, our interdependence is very high. A bad mood or
rough day will impact all of our evenings
Creation of Communication Patterns Family Communication Rules
The communication rules
we were taught growing
up appropriate titles for
elders, what language was
appropriate to use and in
which environments, etc.
Unspoken rules between my siblings and I was one
of reliance and dependence. With my older
siblings’ responsibility of after school care, we
trusted and respected the role they had in our
lives; these relational rules are now more of a joke
to us all as adults.
Creation of Communication Patterns Family Communication Rules
Our regulative rules have, for the most part
remained in tack; such rules keeping everyone in
the loop with one another’s life activities.
Growing up,
constitutive
rules such as
demonstration of
affection were
taught through
teasing or
rough-housing
with one
another.
Creation of Communication Patterns Family Secrets
Secrets between my oldest
sister Dawn and I encompass
many functions. We rely upon
on another for support, honesty
and sounding boards.
Defense
Maintenance
Privacy
Bonding
Creation of Communication Patterns Family Communication Networks
Balance between high
face/voice communication
and high mediated
communication
For the most part now that
we are all grown adults,
the chain is horizontal
Creation of Communication Patterns Family Narratives
Narratives have developed,
across generations to be
something shared by
grandfathers with their
grandchildren. Beginning
with my grandfather’s stories
and now my father’s stories
with his grandchildren.
Relational Maintenance Celebrations and Ceremonies
Many traditions in our
family surrounding
celebrations and
ceremonies are of high
importance and occur
frequently
Relational Maintenance Relational Currencies
Staying in touch
Aggression
Food
Favors
Time together
Positive verbal statements
Self disclosure with my husband
Listening
Nonverbal affect displays
Touch
Food
Favors
Time together
*My husband and my brother and his children are absent from the above photo
Specific Role Functions
There truly is a balance
between my husband and I
to provide for our children
in all aspects (basic
resources, kinship
maintenance and family
management, nurturance
and emotional support;
individual development and
gender socialization)
Power
My father primarily holds the power bases, but as we’re grown there is less dependency upon one another
My sister controls the power process through manipulation, persuasion and threats
Power in my family (parents and siblings) resides primarily
in the hands of two people
They both
share in the
power
outcomes
Influence
Direct: reasoning and asking
Indirect: withdrawal and hinting
This process occurs when family members use their power to try to
change other’s behaviors or beliefs.
Decision Making
“Because family
relationships are both
involuntary and lengthy,
members may use
negative messages that
ironically function to
maintain the family
system while reinforcing
separate identities of
members” (p. 195).
My sister is in a position of power, influence and
decision making because most members of the
family would rather do as she wishes than be
without her as a member – based upon consensus
by most and accommodation by few.
Conflict Styles
Chris and I represent a more
collaborative style of conflict
between ourselves.
When in conflict with our 5
and 3 year old, we aim for a
compromise (if applicable).
To maintain family
collectiveness, my
relationship with
Squeezie falls into
the accommodation
and avoiding styles.
Conflict style amongst the six of us is primarily
compromise. With the exception of my relationship
with Squeezie and the minimal involvement of my
brother (due to life and schedule, rather than
exclusion or chosen withdrawal).
Unresolved Conflict
“We doubt that the
cessation of arguing
means that conflict has
been resolved” (p.223).
Per my family interview results, there
is an apparent, but never spoken about,
unresolved conflict between my brother
and parents.
There is a
commonly
known and
accepted
unresolved
conflict
between my
sister and I.