What exactly is silent treatment?
The silent treatment is not taking out time to think things through before talking about them when there is a conflict, rather it is refusing to engage in conversation as a means of exercising power or control or punishing your spouse for perceived wrongdoing.
What does silent treatment look like;
When issues develop in a relationship or marriage, a person giving the silent treatment will refuse to discuss it.
Refusing to pick up your calls or reply to texts.
Going for days without saying anything.
Passive-aggressive behaviours. When you ask if they are okay or fine, they say everything is alright but they don’t answer or talk to you.
Ask you to apologize before they talk to you.
Effects of the silent treatment
1. It is the quickest way to end a relationship and it has ended so many relationships.
People spend days, months not talking to each other and as expected, the relationship comes to an end.
2. It builds anger and resentment from both parties.
The person giving the silent treatment probably has things that he or she does not want to talk about but make them angry and bitter while the person on the receiving end of the silent treatment deals with feelings of pain and hurt without any resolution or comfort.
3. It causes trauma that stems from abandonment issues
Imagine a person who has been abandoned before coping with the silent treatment. They will end up feeling unloved and without value.
4. It causes actual pain that mirrors physical pain.
The same part of the brain that is activated when a person is physically hurt is activated when a person is ignored by a significant other.
Relationships involve having some pretty uncomfortable conversations, listening to each other and adjusting your behaviour appropriately. If you cannot do all that, then you shouldn’t be in a relationship or marriage.
