The stancetaking process in discourse is enhanced by the interrelation of three components (Du Bois, 2007): the stancetaker evaluates an object, positions a subject (usually the self), and aligns with other subjects. In the course of everyday family conversations, these components are regularly at work and interwoven: when a family member positions him/herself, at the same time s/he aligns with the other members, but again when aligning with the others s/he positions her/himself. The observation of such process is particularly interesting for the understanding of how family members, when talking and discussing, “move” and “oscillate” between different forms of positioning and alignments.

In our work, we observed the stance-taking process in families with adolescent children assuming that, in the unfolding everyday talks and discussions. The research study is based on the material extracted by interviews conducted with the whole family (family interview). Twenty families with at least one adolescent child (14-16) participated to the study on a volunteer basis. Carried out within a systemic and constructivist approach, the study follows the methodological procedures developed in a previous study (Molinari, Everri and Fruggeri, in press) and focuses on the analysis of the stance-taking process in the sequences of interactions observable when family members spontaneously start talking and discussing about topics which are “sensitive” for the family. In particular, we selected from the interview, all the verbal interactions triggered by a “provocative utterance”, expressed by anyone family member. We coded all the stances during such conversations in five categories (directives, challenges, oppositions, justifications and compliances), which can be considered as expression of power in family relations. The results show that different forms of family interactions may be identified: stable and symmetrical, homeostatic, negotiating and alternating. A particular attention will be given to the adolescents’ stances during the process.