Saturday, October 8, 2011
fallacies in interpersonal communication
I think out of the three fallacies, speaking in generalities is the one that shows up in my interpersonal communication. I often don't describe how I am feeling. I tend to speak in general terms without being specific about what is bothering me. I also do this with my nonverbal behavior. I am often withdrawn or hold my head down, but this could mean a lot of different things. Some may interpret that I am angry. Others may interpret as me being sad. Unless I am specific and communicate what is bothering me, the people I talk to will interpret it any way they want. Whether it is true or not is not important. This is why it's not a good idea to hide our feelings from our acquaintances. I am alway surprised when a person gives me the impression that they think I am anmgry. Then, I think about how I sometimes communicarte or don't communicate. People may take this many different ways. It's important to let our acquaintances know why we have chosen not to return their call instead of having them come to their own conclusions.
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While reading your post I thought about how this is a fallacy I am guilty of in my life as well. Although it was not what I chose to discuss, I have to admit that I can relate to speaking in general terms without specifics on what is bothering me. The problem with this type of communication is that it affects other people, and I am not sure if this is the case for you, but I never end up feeling better by speaking in general terms. I understand that it would be easier to just communicate more, but sometimes it just feels right to say less. Sometimes less is more, but in interpersonal communication this can have a negative effect on the situation.
ReplyDeleteHey there,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I also agree with you that that I myself, don't tend to express how I am feeling. I usually tend to be more general with things and I can see it can be frustrating to people especially those close to me. Right when someone thought they had me figured out, they don't because I don't like to describe to talk about how I feel about things. I am usually pretty mellow and try not to let things or anyone get to me and if they do, I keep it to myself, and let it go. However, as you also mentioned, I believe, me being general in terms of me communicating my emotions, people do not know how to react since they are not sure how to make my emotions or f I have any at all. Nonverbal communication is crucial as well since that can also explain how someone is feeling however we never really know with nonverbal communication, that usually leads into assumptions that may not always be accurate. This fallacy is always good to be aware of.
Great post overall!
-little miss daisy