Everyday instances of support: An autoethnography of parent-child relationships

This study examined naturally-occurring instances of supportive communication that occurred between parents and their children during a family gathering over the 2009 holiday season. Using an autoethnography the researcher observed and analyzed his own communication and that of his participants. Within the setting, the researcher used a participant-observer role. Fieldnotes from the study were gathered as written entries in a small leather journal or through the means of a discrete digital voice recorder. To help detail the numerous interactions the researcher documented, the Hymes (1974) SPEAKING pneumonic provided perspective. In an attempt to better understand the functions of supportive behavior these interactions were later analyzed through the Transactional Model of Causality (Granic, 2000 Valsiner, 1989). The findings from the study focused on the specific emergent themes of conflict, stress, worry, humor, and happiness. After reviewing several of these communicative experiences in greater detail the study was able to associate supportive behaviors that resulted in a more cohesive family relationship from those which did not. A discussion of limitations and suggestions for future research are also included.