Impact of Silent Treatment in Marriages

Impact of Silent Treatment in Marriages Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems Print What Married Couples Should Know About the Silent Treatment It is Abusive By Sheri Stritof Sheri Stritof has written about marriage and relationships for 20 years. Shes the co-author of The Everything Great Marriage Book. Learn about our editorial policy Sheri Stritof Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD on February 04, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.   Learn about our Medical Review Board Carly Snyder, MD on February 04, 2020 Roberta Krasnig / Getty Images More in Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems LGBTQ Violence and Abuse The silent treatment doesnt work. And it is mean. This form of emotional and verbal abuse as a manipulation tactic is also ineffective and hurts your marriage. As well as leaving important issues in your marriage unresolved, the silent treatment may make your spouse feel worthless, unloved, hurt, confused, frustrated, angry, and unimportant. When you sulk or pout and refuse to talk about a problem, accept an apology, or help make a decision, not only are you shutting your spouse out, you are being cruel. Just like saying I dont care, whatever, or rolling your eyes or smirking, using the silent treatment is a cop-out. How to Respond to the Silent Treatment If your spouse denies giving you the silent treatment or says its a cooling-off period or desire for some space or time alone, point out in a respectful tone that you are not a mind reader, that a need for space should be communicated before going silent, and that there should be a time limit for the silence.Dont respond with threats.Recognize that not talking to you is a control tactic or way of avoiding having to admit making a mistake. Quit inventing ways to get your mate to speak to you.Walk away. Do something fun or interesting that you want to do. If your spouse talks to you, respond with a soft courteous voice. What Others Have to Say About the Silent Treatment Kipling D. Williams: A survey of over 2,000 Americans conducted by Faulkner et al. (1997) found that 67% admitted to using the silent treatment, deliberately not speaking to a person in their presence, or a loved one. The percentage was slightly higher (75%) for those who indicated that they had been a target of the silent treatment by a loved one ... They found that the silent treatment was just as likely to be used by males as females and that it was used more often to terminate a partners behaviors than to elicit them. Gregory L. Jantz, Ann McMurray: The silence, the loss of verbal relationship, is meant to exact an emotional toll on the other person, who often will go to great lengths to attempt to restore communication with the abuser. This level of control is precisely what the abuser is looking for, as well as a way to vent his or her anger at the other person. By not verbally expressing that anger, by avoiding showing anger, the abuser is allowed to feel as if the victim is the only person at fault for whatever wrong is perceived by the abuser. If the victim responds to the silent treatment with anger, the abuser is doubly vindicated. Walter B. Roberts: Silent Treatments are used to control the situation by their lack of responses. When they do nothing, others have to do all the work. The power of the Silent Treatments rests in their abilities to always be right ... They maintain a position of superiority by not owning a part of a plan -- if we let them get away with it ... The trick is always to keep the Silent Treatments engaged and maybe even provide a little positive provocation to get them to respond, as a method of increasing their participation. Sharon Anthony Bower, Gordon H. Bower: The best way to counter the silent treatment is to assert your rights and ask for a speaking partner. The Best Online Marriage Counseling Programs