Communication in Relationships

You are probably in a relationship. Even if you are not dating or married, you know people. You have friends and acquaintances, and also people you probably would prefer to not see very often. What draws people together? While feelings of attraction may start things moving, communication in relationships is vital if they are to develop and grow.

Think of your best friend. You know all kinds of information about this person, and not because you stalked them on Facebook or hacked into their bio at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. You and your best friend know about each other because you have TALKED to one another. Without communication, relationships deteriorate. Silence may be golden, but it may also be one of the signs of an unhealthy relationship.

In a dating or marriage relationship, miscommunication is possible, especially when one or both partners assume that they know what the other is thinking. You might assume that because something is important to you, other people automatically value it, and know that you need it. However, this is not always the case. For example, men and women are often looking for something completely different in a relationship. Men generally need respect to feel complete, while women more deeply need love. This does not mean that men don’t value love or that women don’t want respect, but that that’s often not the primary focus.

However, assuming even this can be dangerous. The best way to know what’s in the mind of your partner is to listen. If you disagree, still listen. Communication in relationships is the glue that holds them together. Without it, the “relationship” is nothing more than two people who stand next to each other sometimes.