Unravel the enigma of silence as a form of communication. Explore the psychological underpinnings of the silent treatment, its impact on relationships, and the strategies to navigate through its complex labyrinth. Delve into the silent world that speaks volumes.
Silent Treatment and Its Effects
Kipling Williams has studied the effects of the silent treatment for more than 36 years, meeting hundreds of victims and perpetrators in the process
- A grown woman whose father refused to speak with her for six months at a time as punishment throughout her life.
- An isolationist father who stopped talking to his teenage son and couldn’t start again, despite the harm he knew he was causing
- The wife whose husband severed communication with her early in their marriage. She endured four decades of silence that started with a minor disagreement.
The silent treatment goes by many names:
Shunning
- Social isolation
- Stonewalling
- Ghosting
- Ostracism
- Ancient Greeks expelled citizens who were thought to be a threat to democracy
- Early settlers banished people accused of practicing witchcraft
- Religions have frozen out individuals for centuries
- Partial ostracism might mean monosyllabic replies
The Effects of the Silence-Treatment
In the short term, the silent treatment causes stress. In the long term, it can be considered abuse.
- The silent treatment is a particularly insidious form of abuse because it might force the victim to reconcile with the perpetrator in an effort to end the behavior, even if the victim doesn’t know why they’re apologizing.
- It’s especially controlling because it deprives both sides from weighing in.
