Modern Family is a mockumentary sitcom that depicts three different families - the Dunphys, Mitchell and Cameron, and the Pritchetts. The Dunphys are a traditional nuclear family, while Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple raising a daughter. The Pritchetts are a blended family with Jay remarried to a younger Colombian wife, Gloria, and helping raise her son Manny. Each family has a different dynamic and approach to conflict, with the Dunphys having a collaborative style while the Pritchetts engage more in covert conflict due to cultural differences. The show aims to portray the diversity of modern families in the 21st century.

1. Modern Family
Family Collage
Danielle Giacobbe

2. ABC’s sitcom Modern Family is a ‘Mockumentary’
based on the diversified families of the 21st
Century.

3. The plot is based on the lives of three
uniquely different families that are
intertwined through kinship.

4. The Dunphy’s

5. • The Dunphy‟s are
considered a nuclear family
or a natural family.
• Phil and Claire are the
proud parents of the three
children.
• Claire is a homemaker
mother, while Phil is the
breadwinner of the family.
• Their children are well
rounded as Claire and Phil
do there very best to instill
their children with values
and morals.

6. The Dunphy‟s are an
enmeshed family by means
that the family is very
involved and incorporated
in one another‟s daily lives
and routines.
• The family comes together
for meals.
• Helps with homework.
• Asks questions about the
children‟s day.
• See‟s the kids off to school
and the bus in the
mornings.
• The children themselves are
in tune with their siblings
and what takes place in
their lives while at school.

7. Dunphy’s Marital Typology and Conflict
style
• The Dunphy‟s marital typology would be
Traditional in that they adopt to the “ideology of
traditionalism”.
• Their collaborative conflict style is deemed
constructive and calls for higher marital
satisfaction.
• This conflict style evolves from couples who
embrace closeness and marital romance.
• This type of conflict is considered natural and
healthy.

8. Mitchell and Cameron

9. • Mitchell and Cam have created
their own familial unit in that
they are a homosexual couple.
• They adopted a Vietnamese
baby girl named Lily making
them a blended family.
• They implement openness in
their family to a great extent.
The are very open about
disclosing their feelings about
their relationship, their
personal goals and the
upbringing of their daughter.

10. Marital Typology and Conflict Style
• Mitchell and Cameron are a lot like the Dunphy‟s in
that they use collaborative conflict management
styles. Their conflict strategies are constructive in
manner.
• While they are not your necessarily your „traditional
couple‟ they follow many of the same ideologies that
men and women do. They are interdependent and
attuned to each other's needs.
• They are an enmeshed couple as they are involved in
each other‟s everyday lives.

11. The Prichett’s

12. • Previously divorced Jay Pritchett married his
much younger Colombian wife Gloria, and is
helping her raise her son Manny from a previous
relationship.
• Their relationship is different from the rest of
the cast by means of conflict, marital typology
and conflict strategies.

13. • The Prichett‟s are a blended family as Manny
came from a previous relationship of Gloria‟s.
• They are a disengaged family in that they are not
heavily involved in what is going on in each
other‟s lives.
• Each member of the family is an independent
unit of their own.
• Cultural differences are evident in that Jay
Prichetts does not always understand the
cultural background of his wife. Instead of trying
to understand her, he simply sits back and
carries on with his own daily routines.

14. The Prichett’s Conflict Styles and Marital
Typology
• Attitudes toward conflict
often emerge partially from
cultural differences.
• Covert conflict and guerilla
warfare are often present due
to the fact communication
strategies are non-existent
and messages are unclear.
• As a result of this conflict
Manny has become very
independent and has shaped
his own views of life at a very
young age.

15. Modern Family is a coming of age portrayal of everyday
families in our society. Each family is uniquely diverse
and touch on many aspects of our lives and on modern
families of today.