Parent–Child Relationships

Parents and children often have some of the strongest family bonds. Parents play an important role in socializing children by communicating their values and beliefs/culture to the next generation. Parents are responsible for teaching their children about how to behave and how to communicate with others. This chapter discusses some primary theories and developmental phases of parent-child communication. Attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby who wanted to explain how the relationship between infants and their caregivers influenced a child's personality development in later years. Communication helps explain why attachment is related to a variety of family characteristics such as cohesion, expressiveness, and adaptability. Communication plays an important role in attachment and family relationships. Much research on parent-child communication in the field of family communication has been conducted utilizing family communication patterns theory. Diana Baumrind developed parenting styles based on the demandingness and responsiveness of the parents.