Allison Thorson

Allison Thorson is a Professor of Communication Studies, Director of the Interdisciplinary Committee on Children and Youth, and Director of the Child and Youth Studies Minor at University of San Francisco. She also teaches in the Master of Arts in Professional Communication program. Her research focuses on how individuals and families communicatively manage and maintain individual/relational well-being in the context of — often deemed taboo — unexpected, hurtful, or non-normative events (e.g., family communication surrounding parental infidelity) and underexplored relationship types (e.g., work-spouse relationships).

Thorson teaches courses on family communication, interpersonal communication, communication and aging, dark side, and research methods. Her recent research is published in journals such as Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Family Communication, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, Family Relations, and Communication Studies. Thorson is an executive committee member of the Central States Communication Association, active member of National Communication Association and Western States Communication Association.

• Interpersonal communication
• Family communication
• Parent-child communication
• Communication privacy management theory
• Family communication patterns theory
• Relationship maintenance
• Shared family identity
• Communication accommodation theory
• Topic avoidance

• Program Director, Child and Youth Studies minor
• Chair, Interdisciplinary Committee on Children and Youth
• Committee Member, Interdisciplinary Committee on Aging

• PhD, Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• MA, Missouri State University
• BA, University of Northern Iowa

• Interpersonal communication
• Family communication
• Parent-child communication
• Communication privacy management theory
• Family communication patterns theory
• Relationship maintenance
• Shared family identity
• Communication accommodation theory
• Topic avoidance

• Central States Communication Association, Top Four Organizational Communication Interest Group Paper Award, 2021
• Central States Communication Association, Diamond Anniversary Award for Top Competitive Paper in Organizational Communication Interest Group, 2019
• Western States Communication Association, Top Four Interpersonal Communication Interest Group Paper Award, 2019
• Milton Dickens Award for Exemplary Empirical Research in Communication Reports, 2016

• Thorson, A. R., & Holman, A. J. (forthcoming, 2022). Family communication as taboo. In J. Allen, J. Manning, & K. Denker (Eds.), Family Communication As… Metaphors for Family Communication. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Thorson, A. R. (2021b). Triangulation and parental infidelity: Faithful parent’s attempts to make their adult children feel caught, rumination, and satisfaction in the post-infidelity unfaithful parent-child relationship. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage. 62(5), 327-348. 
• Thorson, A. R. (2021a). Rumination’s mediating effect on feeling caught and well-being after parental infidelity. Family Relations. 70(3), 896-904. 
• Thorson, A. R., & McBride, M. C. (2020). Self-monitoring and other non-indicators of developing a work-spouse relationship: Implications for affective organizational commitment. International Journal of Business Communication. Advance online publication. 
• McBride, M. C., Thorson, A. R., & Bergen, K. M. (2020b). Privacy rule decision criteria: An examination of core and catalyst criteria that shape disclosures in the work-spouse relationship. Management Communication Quarterly, 34(4), 527-557. 
• McBride, M. C., Thorson, A. R., & Bergen, K. M. (2020a). An examination of individually performed and (co)managed facework: Unique communication within the work-spouse relationship. Communication Studies, 71(4), 489-510. 
• Thorson, A. R. (2019). Investigating the relationships between unfaithful parent’s apologies, adult children’s third-party forgiveness, and communication of forgiveness following parental infidelity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 36(9), 2759–2780. 
• Thorson, A. R. (2017). Communication and parental infidelity: A qualitative analysis of how adult children cope in a topic avoidant environment. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 58 (3), 175-193.
• Thorson, A. R. & Horstman, H. K. (2017). Family communication patterns and emerging adult consumer outcomes: Revisiting the consumer socialization model. Western Journal of Communication, 81(4), 483-506.
• Foster J. E. & Thorson, A. R. (2016). “I’m too stressed to ‘like’ your post!”: Facebook relational maintenance, stress, and closeness. Iowa Journal of Communication, 48, 76 - 95.
• Thorson, A. R. (2015). Investigating adult children’s experiences with privacy turbulence following the discovery of parental infidelity. Journal of Family Communication, 15, 1-17.
• Thorson, A. R. (2014). Feeling caught: Adult children’s experiences with parental infidelity. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 15, 78-86.
• Thorson, A. R. & Kranstuber Horstman, H. A. (2014). Buy now, pay later: Family communication patterns theory, parental financial support, and emerging adults’ openness about credit card behaviors. Journal of Family Communication, 14, 53-71. 
• Thorson, A. R., Rittenour, C. E., Koenig Kellas, J., & Trees, A. R. (2013). Quality interactions and family storytelling. Communication Reports, 26 (2), 88-100.
• Thorson, A. R. (2013). Adult children’s discovery of their parents’ infidelity. Qualitative Communication Research, 2(1), 61-80.
• Thorson, A. R. (2012). Parental infidelity: Adult children’s attributions for parents’ extramarital relationships. In L. M. Webb & F. C. Dickson (Eds.), Communication for Families in Crisis: Theories, Methods, Strategies. (pp. 55-75). New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. [includes original data and analysis]
• Soliz, J., Thorson, A. R., & Rittenour, C. E (November, 2009). Communicative correlates of satisfaction, family identity, and group salience in multiracial/ethnic families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 819 - 832.
• Thorson, A. R. (2009). Adult children’s experiences with their parent’s infidelity: Communicative protection and access rules in the absence of divorce. Communication Studies, 60(1), 32-48.