Popular culture representations of in-law relationships are frequently negative, and research has affirmed the communication difficulties associated with these non-kin, nonvoluntary relationships. Mother-in-law/daughter-in-law (MIL/DIL) relationships face unique challenges, as these women compete for the position of “kinkeeper,” or the person who manages relationships throughout the family. When MIL/DIL relationships are characterized by conflict and negative feelings toward one another, the family system suffers. To better understand the implications of “high conflict” MIL/DIL relationships on entire families, 27 DILs were interviewed about the turning points they had experienced with their MILs and the repercussions of the MIL/DIL relationship throughout the family system. Nine turning point categories emerged inductively from the data, along with several consequences for relationships throughout the family system, including DIL/husband, MIL/grandchildren, and husband/mother. Findings indicate high conflict MIL/DIL relationships do not just lead to negative outcomes for the two women involved, but also for other members across the family system.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ndsu.edu/oai:library.ndsu.edu:10365/25667 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Anderson, Whitney Allison |
| Publisher | North Dakota State University |
| Source Sets | North Dakota State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text/dissertation, movingimage/video |
| Format | video/mp4, application/pdf |
| Rights | NDSU Policy 190.6.2, https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf |
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