The Forman family consists of Red, the authoritarian father; Kitty, the bubbly mother; Eric, their laidback son; Lori, their promiscuous daughter; and Steven, their foster son. While Red rules the house with an iron fist, Kitty tries to keep tensions low with her energetic personality. The kids regularly rebel against Red's wishes. Though the family argues frequently, they ultimately find a sense of belonging and support in one another, demonstrating characteristics of a connected family.

1. That 70’s Show: The Formans

2.  -Red Forman (father)
◦ Red is a very unemotional man. He is sarcastic and
very bitter. He rules the house and does it in an
authoritarian manner.

3.  Kitty Forman (mother)
◦ Kitty is a very energetic wife (who likes to drink)
and mother. She is the barrier between her son Eric
and Red. She tries to keep the tension low with her
bubbly personality. She is the opposite to Red
which helps balance things out.

4.  Eric Forman (son, brother)
◦ Eric is a laid back person who has no direction despite his fathers
wishes. He only cares out his friends and girlfriend and most of
the time does the opposite of what his father wants. He is into the
relaxation by the means of Marijuana like a lot of people in that
time period. He is very witty and sarcastic which fuels the fire with
his father.

5.  Lori Forman (sister)
◦ Lori is a good looking blonde who knows that she
can get people and things in her favor by using it.
She is promiscuous and comes off very whorish in
the show. She is kind of the drifter, do what she
wants child because she has no fear regarding Red.

6.  Steven Hyde (foster brother)
◦ Steven was first Eric’s friend who had no direction
in life. He lives in the Forman’s basement and is a
major pot head. He is the bad influence that fuels
Eric’s rebellious moments in the show. Red and
Kitty put up with him because they know he is a
great person underneath and has a lot of potential
even if he acts like he doesn’t care.

7.  The Forman’s are a blended family
 “Families may be blended through the
addition of adopted or foster children” (ch. 1
p. 9)
 The edition of Steven makes them a Blended
Family

8.  The Forman’s I would consider to be a
Connected family.
◦ Connected Family: Family members experience
emotional independence as well as some sense of
involvement and belonging (ch.2p.31)
◦ The Forman’s while they are always arguing and
disagreeing they still sit down and try to have
family dinners. They also know that however much
trouble they are in they will always be able to lean
on each other. Kitty is a major factor in this
reassurance because of her warmth.

9.  Red: Head of house, Makes rules, Tries are to
Enforce them
 Kitty: House Wife, tries to persuade Red but
most of the time it doesn’t work
 Children: They really do not have a say in the
household. There job is to rebel and make
things hard on Red

10.  Rigid: Family members low levels of change,
as well as authoritarian leadership and strict
roles and rules (ch.2 p.32)
◦ Because of Red’s authoritarian leadership style, The
kids know that what he says goes. However,
because of Kitty there is some chaos. She often
likes to test Red and the kids are always willing to
get a rise out of Red.

11.  Marital Maintenance
◦ Red and Kitty have their differences. Kitty is a house
wife and Red is the breadwinner. They both except
these roles. They always have a house full of kids
and there is always a tension in the house. At the
end of the day (episode) Red and Kitty always find
their way to the bedroom and through their sexual
appetite with each other they stay connected.

12.  As a family, there isn’t much maintenance
that goes on. They have family meals that
usually end in someone mad and storming
off. Kitty keeps everyone close with her
cooking and spunk. AS for the kids they are
usually wanting to be anywhere but together
or with their parents. This leads them to their
dysfunctional family style.

13.  Galvin, Kathleen M., Carma Lee Bylund, and
Bernard J. Brommel. Family Communication:
Cohesion and Change. 8th ed. Boston:
Pearson Allyn and Bacon, 2012. Print.