This study examined how family cohesiveness was predicted by the quantity and affective quality of problem self-disclosures. It also explored whether generational boundaries were present in regard to problem disclosures and/or if a reciprocity effect existed between family members. The subjects were 60 Black American families being seen in community menial health centers, from Chicago and the Washington, D.C. area., with an eldest child between 14 and 16 years old. Results indicated that, for the parents, family cohesiveness was best predicted by the specific emotions (e.g., anger, sadness, or anxiety) associated with various disclosures. For the children, family cohesiveness was best predicted by their own subscores on the self-esteem scale. Generational boundaries were evident in the disclosure patterns. The classic reciprocity effect, in which increased levels of disclosure by one partner begets increased disclosures in the other partner, did not seem to characterize parental interactions. Instead, a complementary disclosure pattern was found, in which one spouse took on the role of "discloser" and the other took on the role of "listener. "One of the most promising avenues of research in family psychology involves studying how basic social psychological concepts, such as equity theory, reactance, and attribution, operate in family systems (Berg-Cross, 1988). This study attempts to broaden the range of social-psychology concepts used in family research by exploring how self-disclosure phenomena operate in family systems. Family patterns of self-disclosure are important because they may help us understand the formation and maintenance of family cohesiveness.Family cohesiveness has been found to be a critical dimension in the structural analysis of families and consistently appears to be related to the self-esteem and mental health of children and adolescents (Olson, Sprenkle, & Russell, 1979). It is hypothesized that cohesive families are characterized by a family atmosphere of support and understanding, in which members need to feel free to voice their needs and concerns-to self-disclose. Healthy
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