Article published in:
Closeness and conflict: The discourse of domestic discord across English and Spanish-speaking communities
Edited by Diana Boxer and María Elena Placencia
[Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict 6:2] 2018
► pp. 203–227

The discursive practices of “guilting” in family discourse

Socialization, identity construction, and parental expectations

| LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York

This study looks at the way in which four members of a Midwestern American family co-construct the adult child identity of two graduate school students by using particular discursive practices while discussing topics related to parental expectations and decision-making. More specifically, it focuses on what constitutes “guilting” in the adult child-parent interactions. The data shows that guilting, both direct and indirect, is accomplished through making complaints and assessments. Participants orient to particular utterances as guilting and respond with justifications, explanations, or deflection. Guilting is shown to be used as a tool to control others’ future actions and/or to establish closer connection.

Keywords: guilting, family discourse, interactional sociolinguistics, identity, imposition, justification, complaints, assessments, accounts, face
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical Construct
    • 2.1The discursive practices of “guilting”
    • 2.2The family context
    • 2.3Connection and control
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Analysis
    • 4.1A family history of guilting
    • 4.2The subtle guilt of parental expectations
      • 4.2.1Justification as a response
      • 4.2.2Discussion: Parental expectations and adult child justifications
    • 4.3Guilting and negotiating the adult child identity through extended discussion
      • 4.3.1The imposition
      • 4.3.2Addressing the complaint
      • 4.3.3The resolution
      • 4.3.4Discussion: Cyclical strategies and tensions between interactional goals
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 26 November 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.00010.joh
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