Turning Conceptions of Family ‘Upside Down’: Non-Familial Families Provide Social Support and Communal Coping as a Form of Social Support in Stranger Things

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