Storytelling in Parent-Child Coming Out Conversations: The Real-Time Management of Relationships and Relationship Expectations

Serbetsoglou, Chloe Iris (2025) Storytelling in Parent-Child Coming Out Conversations: The Real-Time Management of Relationships and Relationship Expectations. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Background: Parent-child relationships fluctuate due to a variety of reasons, including coming out and sexual identity. Relationships are created and can also be managed through communication. Parent-child relationships provide children with necessary materials for survival, so there is a motivation to use communication to manage the relationship. Previous literature outlines expected relational effects of coming out and behaviors that manage the relationship during coming out, however there is limited research on specifically how stories manage relationships during coming out. Objective: This paper aims to examine the relational functions of storytelling during coming out conversations between parent and child. Method: This study used an archival observational design. The data consisted of nine videos of parent-child dyads, which were analysed using conversation analysis. Results: This study found four functions of storytelling. These functions are, from most to least detected, increasing knowledge about past internal and external actions and feelings, defining current and past relationship, engaging in behaviors that are socially expected, and providing new meaning for past events. Conclusion: Stories not only manage current relationship, but also manage relational expectations. Future studies should use questionnaires to assess if functions such as providing relational meanings or defining the relationship, effect or manage the relationship past the moment of coming out. Keywords: coming out, functions, parent-child relationship, relational communication framework, relational expectations, storytelling

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Gmelin, J.H. and Mulberger Rogele, A.C.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	05 Aug 2025 12:38
Last Modified:	05 Aug 2025 12:38
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5811

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