Communication Differences Between the Sexes
Communication Differences Between the Sexes Through the ages communication between the sexes has been a perplexing subject. It has plagued mankind for centuries, but this communication breakdown can be eased if we learn a little bit about the way males communicate verses the way females communicate. Some researchers believe that different styles of communication are developed by nurturing, not nature. That communication styles are learned through the way someone has been raised, not by how a person is wired from birth. Take a newborn girl and put her in a room with family members all about. She will look at every one around and make eye contact with each of them. Put a newborn boy in a room surrounded by family members, and he will pay more attention to the light fixture or a ceiling fan. I know this to be true with my own children as well as with my grandchildren. When our first grandson was born it was after having several granddaughters. The first time I held him I was taken back a bit because I couldn’t get him to make eye contact with me. I was starting to get concerned that maybe he was Autistic, but then I remembered, he was a boy. This behavior difference between male and female is carried with them throughout their childhood and into adulthood. “In one study, researchers performed a series of test on males and females from four age groups: second graders, sixth graders, tenth graders, and twenty five-year-olds. Instructions for each pair of females and each pair of males were exactly the same: enter a room, sit down on two chairs, and talk, if you wish. As the test proceeded, every pair of females, no matter what their ages, reacted the same way. They turned their chairs toward each other, or at least they turned toward each other, so they could be face-to-face, lean forward and talk. The males reacted differently. They did not turn toward each other in any way. They sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, looking straight ahead except for an
Cited: 1. Eggerichs, Emerson. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs. Nashville, TN: Integrity, 2004. Print.
2. Liberman, Simma. "Differences in Male and Female Communication Styles." Differences in Male and Female Communication Styles. Simma Liberman Associates, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.