Subversion of the American Family

Abstract

This inquiry examines the portrayal of family relationships in domestic comedy. Participants were randomly assigned to view and evaluate samples of nine programs selected for the study on the basis of their popularity during the period 1954-1994. Subsequent analysis suggested that both parent-child and sibling relations have developed in relational frameworks defined by changing levels of conflict, cohesiveness, and socializing, although role similarity was not a powerful discriminator between the families. More specifically, the experience of television children appears to have deteriorated across time. In the present study, the general relational environment was rated more conflictual and less cohesive in modern families, and modern families were rated as less able to manage day-to-day life and less able to socialize children effectively. Moreover, compared to parent-child relations, those between siblings were judged more hostile and less cohesive and, in modern families, were seen to involve less effective socializing.