Strength, Family-Style
"Strength" is such a positively loaded word...strength is generally a good thing: You might not need a display of strength but you it's better to have it available to you then not. Strong products are generally more expensive, or better made than their flimsy comparisons. Strength can be genetic, but it also takes time and discipline to develop, and is often tested (e.g. "are you really that strong, or is this a show").
So if strength is viewed as some form of bond, or a quality of that bond, able to withstand outside pressures, resist internal friction to drive its components apart, and to stand tall and embrace whatever comes with a clear purpose, this type of conceptual framework serves as a viable metaphor for understanding families as well.
Thompson and Schrodt (2015) treat strengths here as I've described as a desired outcome, thinking about what contributes to this idea of family strength (drawing upon work done by family therapist and mental health professionals).
Paraphrasing research done by DeFrain and Stinett (2003), they proposed there are six primary characteristics of "strong families":
Regular expressions of affection and appreciation
A commitment to the wellbeing of each family member
Positive communication and the ability to resolve conflict constructively
A tendency to enjoy quality time together
A sense of spiritual well-being
An ability to effectively manage stress and unexpected crisis.
Note: This is a really great portrayal, as its speaks to a lot of the preconditions that are necessary as components of how families high in "family strength" speak to each other: Affectionate, Dedicated, Positive, & both a deeper and momentary enjoyment of each other. Whats best is these can be worked on independently of each other, or in concert (with daily habits or events).
Of relevance to this post, Thompson and Schrodt (2015) were testing a mediation effect, or "why" there would be a relationship between family communication patterns (FCP) (i.e., conversation-orientation) and family strengths. They found that qualities to joint family storytelling (e.g., engagement, turn taking politeness, perspective-taking, coherence) help explain that relationship. In other words, assessments of family strengths as a product of communication patterns in your family can be indirectly explained by how your family tells stories.
So who cares? Well, look at family functioning as fluid based on the choices that people are making within it, and performance of "family" (doing family time) as either effectively done (happy, perfect family), or ineffective (a mess, nobody wants to be there, miserable). In this way, there is this question many see themselves asking: "Why is my family so messed up?" Or (if you're fortunate), "How did we get so lucky with this family?" Family strengths, and in a way both FCP and joint-family story telling provides a bit of an answer.
And if after some self- and family-assessment, maybe start by making a change to how you contribute to the story-telling process to kick-start a new way of how you engage, take turns, see the other side of the story, and help construct stories that everyone can agree with as representative.
References:
Patty Ann Thompson & Paul Schrodt (2015) Perceptions of Joint Family Storytelling as Mediators of Family Communication Patterns and Family Strengths, Communication Quarterly, 63:4, 405-426, DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2015.1058286
Picture: http://www.familyunity-bringingfamiliestogether.com/Home-Studies.html
