Differences in Words
We never fail to hear these two similar sentences as one gender regards to the other.
Women are so hard to understand."
Men are so hard to understand."
One reason that causes one gender to say such perception about the other gender is the differences in words that both gender has. Perhaps, one best example where differences in words cause miscommunication between men and women is in the topic of relationships and love.
When it comes to relationships, psychologists suggest that one must know how to read between the lines because there are instances when words are not said directly nor said straight to the point. Rather, the real meaning of what has been said can be found in the actions done. However, due to differences in words, where one fails to understand what the other really means, miscommunication starts to exist.
Previous studies and researches conducted on how men and women communicate indicate that there are two types of communication interpretation. These are direct and indirect interpretation. In the direct interpretation, one conceives information in a literal manner. That is, comparing to the sense of vision, it is similar to "WYSIWYG" (what you see is what you get). For instance, when one says to you to "Go away," what you should do is to leave the place. In the indirect interpretation, on the other hand, information is taken in a metaphorical sense depending on the situation where the information is released. For instance, in our example of a relationship, there are times when what...
How one communicates actually depends on his or her personality. However, in general, it is most common that differences in words occur between men and women because of their differences in personality, thus causing differences on how they must relate to each other and how they must interpret a particular communication in a particular situation. For instance, when men communicate with each other, they usually know that they must interpret their conversations directly.
This is because of the basic instinct of men that when they speak to the same gender, they must be direct and straight to the point. Men do not beat around the bush when they speak with each other, otherwise the one who does will get a bad impression. However, this is not the same case of communication between men and women. One must try to relate and comprehend with the other. There are instances when a man becomes indirect in communication when he is communicating with a woman. The same goes for a woman who communicates with a man. One may need direct interpretation of communication while the other may need an indirect form. To simply describe, there is such a thing as a "man to man talk," but there is no such thing as a "man to woman talk."
These are some concepts why miscommunications occur between men and women due to differences in words and worlds.
