New ways to strengthen your family!

Last semester I took the most amazing class at BYU. Dr. Randal Day lead us in soul searching discussions about important topics that make or break families. The next 8 posts or so are the things I've learned.

I would love to sit down with you and talk together about any of these principles. I have learned so much, and I am sure I can learn from you too. I think discussing how to apply these principles in our own lives helps too.

Here are the references I used:

REFERENCES

Acock, Alan & Day, Randal D. (2013). Marital Well-Being and Religiousness as Mediated by Relational Virtue and Equality. Journal of Marriage and Family 75:164-177

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review Of General Psychology, 5(4), 323-370

Barber, Brian K., & Buehler, Cheryl. (1996). Family cohesion and enmeshment: Different constructs, different effects. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58(2), 433-441.

Bartle-Haring, S., Younkin, F. L., & Day, R. D. (2012). Family distance regulation and school engagement in middle-school-aged children. Family Relations, 61, 192-206.

Burr, W., Marks, L., & Day, R. (2012). Sacred Matters: Religion and Spirituality in Families. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Eldridge, K. A., Sevier, M., Jones, J., Atkins, D. C., & Christensen, A. (2007). Demand-withdraw communication in severely distressed, moderately distressed, and nondistressed couples: Rigidity and polarity during relationship and personal problem discussions. Journal Of Family Psychology, 21(2), 218-226.

El-Sheikh, M., & Erath, S. A. (2011). Family conflict, autonomic nervous system functioning, and child adaptation: State of the science and future directions. Development and Psychopathology, 23(2), 703-721.

Fiese, B. H., & Tomcho, T. J. (2001). Finding meaning in religious practices: The relation between religious holiday rituals and marital satisfaction. Journal Of Family Psychology, 15(4), 597-609.

Gordon, K., Hughes, F. M., Tomcik, N. D., Dixon, L. J., & Litzinger, S. C. (2009). Widening spheres of impact: The role of forgiveness in marital and family functioning. Journal Of Family Psychology, 23(1), 1-13.

Gordon, A. M., Impett, E. A., Kogan, A., Oveis, C., & Keltner, D. (2012). To have and to hold: Gratitude promotes relationship maintenance in intimate bonds. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 103(2), 257-274.

Marks, L. D. (2004). Sacred practices in highly religious families: Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and Muslim perspectives. Family Process, 43(2), 217-231. 

McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 82(1), 112-127.

Papp, L. M., Kouros, C. D., & Cummings, E. (2009). Demand-withdraw patterns in marital conflict in the home. Personal Relationships, 16(2), 285-300.

Porges, S. W. (2011). Neuroception: A subconscious system for detecting threat and safety. The Polyvagal Theory (pp. 11-19). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Stanley, S. M., Whitton, S. W., Sadberry, S., Clements, M. L., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Sacrifice as a Predictor of Marital Outcomes. Family Process, 45(3), 289-303.