American Society and the Communication Process

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Interesting questions! Let's take a closer look.

RESPONSE:

1. What are some of the ways that the communication plays a role in resolving conflicts in marriage in the contemporary American society?

Any constructive communication must be based on mutual respect and understanding and a genuine concern for each other's views, beliefs and opinions (http://ezinearticles.com/?Emotional-Abuse-in-Marriage&id=713074). This is an essential component, as is the ability to forgive; otherwise, one or both often succumb to name calling and yelling, which increases hostilities, and does nothing to resolve the initial conflict.

According to Linaman, PhD. (n.d), statistics reveal that many marriages either dissolve or are robbed of intimacy and satisfaction because of the couple's inability to effectively resolve conflict. No matter how good the marriage is, at some point couples find themselves facing the reality that every couple experiences conflict. The key is not to eliminate it, points out Linaman, but rather "to better understand your spouse's thoughts, feelings and desires (active listening skills), and learn how to communicate yours (verbal communication). The goal, of course, is to find a resolution that satisfies both partners and ultimately strengthens the marriage" (http://www.relationaladvantage.com/topic.asp?ARTICLE=71&SS=PRD).

Thus, verbal communication is used to explain the problem to each other and to explain how the problem is impacting her or him e.g., how each feels about the problem. While one partner is employing verbal communication to explain how s/he defines the problem, the other will be using another communication skill, that of active listening. Communication and negotiation will also be needed using the resolution stage of problem solving, finding a solution that satisfies both partners and that strengthens the marriage.

2. Why do people fail in the communication process?

People often fail at the communication process because of the barriers or roadblocks that block the communication process, such as those proposed by Linaman (n.d):

· Our attitude. Our attitudes can be severely impacted if we're holding onto unresolved anger and resentment. If we have not forgiven our self or our spouse (or anyone else, for that matter), we will never be able to maintain the open, caring attitude that's needed for genuine resolution.

· Lack of skill in communication. Many people are unable to express their thoughts and feelings in a way that gets their point across clearly and respectfully - they just don't know how. This can result in anger and hurt feelings, even though there was no offense intended.

· Communication is a combination of attitude and skill. An uncaring attitude combined with poor skill can result in abuse. An uncaring attitude combined with skill can result in manipulation. Someone with a caring attitude but no skill creates misunderstandings. However, when you combine a caring attitude with effective communication skills, you're on the road to healthy conflict resolution ...