Engaging Theories in Family Communication: Multiple Perspectives

Bringing together the work of 60 contributors who represent both leading voices in family communication scholarship and an inspiring new generation of scholars shaping the field’s future, this third edition is a comprehensive and accessible overview of the theories that form the foundation of the family communication field. The book begins with an overview chapter including an updated empirical analysis of family communication research from 1990 to 2024.Twenty-seven theory chapters follow. Each chapter is dedicated to a single theory and follows a consistent structure, allowing readers to engage deeply with individual theories and draw comparisons between multiple theories.The third edition offers two new sections. (Meta)Theoretical Perspectives includes critical feminism, discourse dependence, systems theory, social constructionism, and natural selection.Looking Ahead features a multi-authored chapter that addresses emerging developments in the study of Black families, Indigenous pers