Abstract
This study examines the sense of belonging and social support in relational communication among members of non-familial groups who form families in the Netflix original series, Stranger Things. Specifically, this study analyzes the youth in the show and how they form non-familial families. The method used to analyze the show is textual analysis with Galman’s grounded approach. The major conclusion I found is that the group of kids in the show Stranger Things act as a family by choice and use communal coping and social support as a way to strengthen their relationships as a group. Aspects of communal coping and social support like shared time, support, sacrifice, and identity are the most used tools by the kids as a way to maintain these strong bonds.
Advisor
Razzante, Robert
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Pellar, Sophia Deanna, "Turning Conceptions of Family ‘Upside Down’: Non-Familial Families Provide Social Support and Communal Coping as a Form of Social Support in Stranger Things" (2021). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 9617.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/9617
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities
Keywords
communal coping, grounded approach, family, identity, relationship(s), sacrifice, shared time, social support, Stranger Things, support, textual analysis
Publication Date
2021
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2021 Sophia Deanna Pellar