Family Types

The two dimensions underlying FCP inter­act in a way that defines four distinct types of families (McLeod & Chaffee, 1972). Families high in both conversation orientation and conformity orientation are labeled consensual.

Families high in conversation orientation but low in conformity orientation are labeled pluralistic. Communication in pluralistic fami­lies is characterized by open, unconstrained dis­cussions involving all family members. Parents in these families are willing to accept their children’s opinions and to let them participate in family decision making. Children of these families learn to value family conversations and to be independent and autonomous, which fosters their communication competence in relationships within and outside the family and their confidence in their ability to make their own decisions.

Families low on conversation orientation but high on conformity orientation are labeled pro­tective. Communication in protective families is characterized by an emphasis on obedience to parental authority and by little concern for open communication within the family. Parents in these families are the ultimate decision mak­ers and have little interest in explaining them­selves to their children. Children in protective families learn that there is little value in family conversations, and they start distrusting their own decision-making ability. In addition, they often lack communication competence in rela­tionships outside the family.

Families low in both conversation orienta­tion and conformity orientation are labeled laissez-faire. Their communication is char­acterized by few and usually uninvolving interactions between family members lim­ited to a small number of topics. Parents in laissez-faire families do believe that all family members should be fairly independent, but unlike parents in pluralistic families, they have little interest in their children and do not value family conversations. Most members of laissez-faire families are emotionally divorced from their families. Children of these families learn that there is little value in family conver­sation and that they have to make their own decisions; but because they receive only little support from their parents, they question their decision-making ability and often depend on their peers for guidance.