The quality of communication between spouses raised in nuclear and single-parent families

The article concerns marriage communication among husbands and wives coming from nuclear and one-parent families. The issue of marriage communication is a crucial factor determining its quality and stability. What is more, communicating spouses are the source of role models for their children. Research carried out among the group of 296 people (148 couples) by using Communication in Marriage Questionnaire (KKM) crated by Mieczyslaw Plopy and Maria Kaźmierczak indicates irregularities in the sphere of communication between spouses coming from one-parent families. Dysfunctional communication among couples mainly concerns the lower level of engagement in dialogue with a spouse and the high level of depreciation. Key words: communication in the family, nuclear families, one-parent families, quality of marriage

Rethinking the Rhetorical Epistemics of Gaslighting

Gaslighting is defined as a dysfunctional communication dynamic in which one interlocutor attempts to destabilize another’s sense of reality. In this article, we advance a model of gaslighting based in an epistemic rhetoric perspective. Our model directs attention to the rhetorics used to justify competing knowledge claims, as opposed to philosophical models that tend to rely on objective truth-value. We probe the discursive manifestations of gaslighting in logocentric, ethotic, or pathemic terms. We then apply our model to explain sexist and racist gaslighting that derives power from normatively instantiated discourses of rape culture and White supremacy. Specifically, our analysis identifies the appeal structures used to legitimate such gaslighting in response to disclosures of sexual violence and testimony about racial injustice.

The NETfacts health system: An integrative approach to counter the mental sequelae of trauma and violence at the individual and community level

In areas of armed conflict such as Eastern DR Congo, a large proportion of the population is affected by violence. Trauma and violent acts can lead to mental health and behavioural problems which have ramifications beyond the individual into the family, community and societal systems, and are passed on across generations. Dynamics of avoidance and with it the dysfunctional communication about survivors' traumatic experience lead to the emergence of prejudices and marginalization of victims and prevent informed understandings in the aggregate. Cycles of violence emerge within communities that ‘build' on the inherited consequences of conflict-related trauma. This article outlines the NETfacts health system that provides an integrated approach to counter the consequences of violence at the individual and community level.

Communication Problems in Software Development — A Model and Its Industrial Application

Attaining effective communication within and across organizational units is among the most critical challenges for success in software development organizations. This paper presents a novel model, supporting analysis of problems in inter-departmental communication events. The model was developed and designed based on industrial needs emphasizing flexibility, applicability and scalability. The model covers central communication aspects in order to provide a useful approximation of communication problems rather than in-depth modeling on message-by message basis. Other event-specific information, such as costs, can then be attached to enrich analysis and understanding. To exemplify and evaluate the model and collect feedback from industry, it was applied to 16 events at a Swedish automotive manufacturer where communication between two departments had broken down during development of software-intensive systems. The evaluation showed that the model helped structure and conduct systematic data collection and analysis of dysfunctional communication patterns. We found that insufficient understanding of the matters being communicated was prevalent, but also more specifically, requirements were insufficiently balanced, detailed and specified over the full system development cycle. Besides, the long-term cost for the company was analyzed in depth for each event, yielding a total estimated cost for the analyzed communication events of 11.2MUS$.

An upbringing with substance-abusing parents: Experiences of parentification and dysfunctional communication

Aim: To increase understanding of the consequences of growing up with substance-abusing parents, including how this can influence the experience of becoming a parent. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 parents who had participated in an Infant and Toddler Psychiatry Unit intervention programme and who had experienced substance-abusing parents in their family of origin. Directed qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Analysis of the interview material revealed both a high incidence of parentification and a conspiracy of silence concerning the substance abuse that helped generate symptoms of cognitive dissonance in the children. As parents they experience a high degree of inadequacy, incompetence and stress. Conclusion: A majority of the children who had grown up with substance-abusing parents responded by taking a parenting role for themselves, their siblings and their parents. These children, often well-behaved and seemingly competent, need to be identified and offered support as they risk developing significant psychological and emotional difficulties that can extend into adulthood. They form an extra sensitive group who may need special support up to and including the time when they become parents themselves. This finding underlines the importance of further research on parenting among those who have grown up with abusive parents.