A Family-Wide Model for the Role of Emotion in Family Functioning

SUMMARY A family-wide perspective is essential for comprehensive understanding of the influence of emotions on child and marital functioning. After reviewing a family systems perspective on emotions, a specific family-wide model (i.e., an emotional security hypothesis) is outlined. Exploratory analyses based on a new diary methodology are presented examining interconnections between emotions and behaviors among family members during marital conflict situations in the home. Results based on both mothers' and fathers' reports indicated that emotions and behaviors in the marital subsystem were linked to children's emotional and behavioral reactions in a manner consistent with an emotional security hypothesis. Implications for a family-wide model of emotion and directions for future research are discussed.

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