Conflicts in the family can be silent. Is it good or bad? Sometimes you can hear from one of the spouses: What's wrong with that? After all, when you are silent, there are no quarrels, and, therefore, no one can be offended. What's wrong with that? But, nevertheless, the complaints of the spouses, faced with the silence of the other half, more often indicate that this is unbearably difficult. Indeed, demonstrative silence, a sharp gesture, a glance, or emphasized coldness in relationships causes internal tension and creates general tension in the family. Anxiety in such a situation is off the charts. To defuse the situation, you want to speak out so that you are heard and your point of view on the current situation is understood. It becomes so unbearable that you want your spouse to scream or swear, but not to remain silent. And in response - silence. This silence is overwhelming. You get the feeling that there is a cold wall in front of you. At best, you can hear monosyllabic answers from such silent people. If someone has encountered such behavior, they can say that such communication becomes a punishment for those who are ready to talk. What can silent people show or “say” in this way with their behavior? They can try to impose a feeling of guilt. And thus, consciously or not, they make their half to blame for the current situation. Sometimes they are simply afraid of seeming weak, defenseless and do not talk about what they feel, are experiencing at the moment. There is also an option when one of the spouses is in illusion that the spouse should guess what is happening to him. Silence may also hide the fear of admitting that you are wrong. And, accordingly, take responsibility for your words and actions. What else can be expressed with the help of silence? The one who becomes silent simply wants to show how much he is offended. Silence can be regarded as indifference. The spouse is not ready when faced with remain silent, but all the words and arguments given by him/her crumble against this highest wall that the silent one has built. And this leads to aggressive actions on the part of the other half. As a result of such communication, the conflict between the spouses is prolonged. And there is a possibility that it may develop into an unresolved “silent” conflict. And reach such a size when spouses do not speak to each other for months. And then silence for one of them becomes painful, scary, gloomy, tense, ominous, hostile, stubborn, anxious... You can continue this list yourself. And it is so obvious that silence is not even a harmless way to resolve a conflict, but simply a way manipulate another person. Photo by Klara Kulikova