Jennifer McNally

1. Family Collage
Jennifer McNally
Jennifer McNally
Family Collage
4/4/2012
4/4/2012

2. My brother (top left), Frank (bottom left), my mom, sister
and I (top right), my dad and I (bottom right), and Gracie my
daughter is in all of the photos.
Family Collage
Jennifer McNally
4/3/2012

3. The previous slide
• My family consists of my mother, father,
Frank, sister and brother. My parents divorced
after twelve years of marriage. My mother
has had a long term relationship with Frank.
So I consider Frank to be a father figure as
well. “The blended family consists of two
adults and their children, all of whom are not
from the union of their relationship.” (Galvin,
et al. p.9)

4. “The intentional family involves a pair or a group of people,
some or all of whom are unrelated biologically or legally, who
share a commitment to each other , may live together, and
consider themselves to be a family.” (Galvin et al. p.10) My
family includes my boyfriend and my daughter. He is not her
biological father and we are not married, but we are a
committed family.

5. Cohesion
• Our family is very close emotionally. We may live far apart, but we
our relationship with each other is most important. We are so close
that it can be difficult to have independence. “Enmeshed. Family
members experience extreme closeness, loyalty, dependence, and
almost no individuality.” (Galvin et al, 2008)

6. Communication patterns
• Frank is certainly the story teller in our family. He is always recalling funny
stories that get everyone laughing. “Family stories encourage members to
remember together.” (Galvin et al. p. 97)

7. My brother, sister, and I are very close. We enjoy getting together and all three of us
are incredibly silly. We all share similar humor and we connect at family gatherings by
laughing. “Rituals convey a variety of meanings and messages in emotionally powerful
patterns; they remind members of who they are, how much they care about each
other.” (Galvin, et al. p. 113)

8. Family Rituals
My fathers side of the family gets together on the 4th of July every year, this
has been happening since long before I was born. “”Ceremonial rituals
provide unique opportunities for family members to bond with each other
and significant others in their communities.” (Galvin et al. 2008)

9. Commitment
My boyfriend and I are dedicated to our relationship and we take
it very seriously. Energy must be put into a relationship for it to
continue to be healthy. We have been together for four years
now. “Commitment implies intense singular energy directed
toward sustaining a relationship.” (Galvin, et al. p. 129)

10. Roles
My daughter is the most important person to me. We have a
special bond as she spent the first 18 months of her life with me
as a single mom. “Family members need mutual admiration,
support, and reassurance.” (Galvin, et al. p. 155)

11. Themes
No matter how far away I live from my family or what decisions I make I am
continuously supported by my family. “”Some family stories depict strong
family support, or no family support, when members face stressful times or
their behavior violates family norms.” (Galvin et al. p. 99) I am so fortunate
to have a family that is always there for me.

12. Family conflict
My father avoids conflict while my mother talks about everything. It was a
struggle for them to communicate. As I understand it that is one of the many
reasons their marriage ended. “Conflicts in families stem from multiple
issues and are handled in a variety of ways.” (Galvin et al. p. 208)

13. Decision making
Growing up we always went to our mom for an answer to what
we were allowed to do. My dad was usually the “good guy” as
he didn’t like to say no. “Decision-making processes rely on the
repertoire of strategies members have developed to manage
conflicting needs and desires.” (Galvin et al. p. 195)

14. A family to me means being there for each other no matter
what. The relationships in my life are what make me happy. The
bonds I have with these people are more important to me then
anything else. As an adult with a “family” of my own I am
enjoying raising my daughter to understand the importance of
family.

15. Works Cited
• Galvin, Bylund, and Brommel. Family
Communication: 2008