Silence or Self-Disclosure? Examining the Psychological and Relational Factors Shaping Political Communication Between Gen Z and Their Families

<p>This dissertation examines the psychological and relational factors shaping political communication between Generation Z and their families. Using Communication Privacy Management (CPM) and Family Communication Patterns (FCP) theories as a dual framework, the study investigates how emotions, relational turbulence, and family orientations influence political self-disclosure during face-to-face gatherings. Data were collected via an online survey of 488 Gen Z participants (ages 18–28) following the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday. The results reveal a critical distinction between negative and positive privacy boundary strength. Negative boundary strength, characterized by defensive and restrictive regulation, was consistently associated with heightened experiences of fear, anger, frustration, and shame/guilt, as well as increased relational turbulence. Conversely, positive boundary strength correlated with relational stability and higher family conversation orientation. Notably, individuals with stronger negative boundaries were less likely to avoid disclosure, suggesting that high emotional intensity may drive strategic or confrontational engagement rather than silence. While family conformity orientation reinforced defensive boundaries, interactional factors such as hostile tone and political similarity emerged as more robust predictors of immediate communicative outcomes. These findings advance CPM by positioning privacy as an emotionally embedded regulatory system rather than a purely cognitive process. Ultimately, the study highlights how Gen Z utilizes sophisticated boundary management to navigate the relational risks of political discourse in contemporary family life. </p>

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Netherton, Bradford E

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Jennifer Bevan, Ph.D.
• Dr. Gabriel Li
• Dr. Michelle Miller-Day
• Dr. Amy Johnson

• communication
• family
• gen z
• communication privacy management
• politics
• Other Political Science

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/communication_dissertations/18

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.chapman.edu:communication_dissertations-1017