Common Communication Barriers
My terminology for Common Communication Barriers are Patterns of Behavior. A pattern of behavior is a way people stop the needed communication of talking. For instance: A newlywed wife gets upset about the way her husband slams the door when he comes home at night. Instead of talking to him about it, she pretends that it doesn’t bother her. In effect, she is sweeping the matter under the rug, hoping that it will stay there. It does not, of course, and peeks out every time he slams the door. She substitutes a pattern of behavior for verbal communication.
A second example is the man who pressures his wife to tell him something that she obviously does not want to talk about. He continues demanding until she screams, locks herself in the bathroom and goes to sleep on the rug. He waits awhile, taps on the door quietly and begs her to let him in. She cracks the door and he hands her a piece of jewelry he bought awhile back for times just like these. She coos and thanks him, hugs and kisses him until he feels all is well. He never gets a verbal answer, only a pattern of behavior.
Texting is a perfect example. It is devoid of the facial expressions and voice inflections that express emotions necessary for intimate communication. What are your patterns that stop your needed verbal communication? If you have a teenager at home, what patterns are used to stop the vital communication needed?
Contact Lane Stokes at CounselingServicesAtlanta.com; [email protected] for assistance in discovering how to eliminate the patterns and allow healthy verbal communication.
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