Gender issues of male-female communication (Essay Sample)

Gender Issues of Male-Female Communication Name Institution Introduction Most misunderstandings between men and women are based on the difference between the emotional language to each gender and consequently, a better reading of mutual feelings should help us better understand ourselves. If men and women both share the same feelings, they are also capable of emotions they do not express the same way. Knowing the modalities of expression of each sex is the key to understanding the communication divide. It is possible to promote understanding, advising best the belief that emotions are the foundation of human communication and, in particular, the encounter with the other sex. The expression of emotions promotes emotional attachment or social ties. Since we are likely to be surprised by our lives and the other sex, we arrange the best of the situation. From laughter to tears, no emotion is an exclusive property of one or the other sex. Men and women differ less by the nature of what they feel. Emotional styles are related to sexual identity more strongly than we thought before.[Paludi, M. (2008).The psychology of women at work challenges and solutions for our female workforce. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.] Here, we will mainly focus on differences in communication styles between men and women, stereotypes associated with male and female gender, and also their communication patterns, their psychological differences including how to understand men and women among other things. Psychological Gender Differences It would be unrealistic, and quite unscientific to believe that genetic, gonadal, hormonal, and brain differencescannot have any impact on the psychology and behavior of men and women. Men and women are equal, certainly, but different.   We have long known that the average intelligence subtests for women who deal with verbal skills is always greater than that achieved by men. Similarly, the average for men in intelligence subtests in regard to visuospatial skills is always higher than that obtained by women, on average because there will always be individual differences . This helps to explain the greater ease for women in verbal communication and language learning and ease for men to recover in time and space (read a map, for example). This does not mean that there is a quantitative difference between the two intelligences, but rather a qualitative difference. It is important to remember that these differences are in terms of statistical averages, not individual differences.[Conick, A. (2011). Holy misogyny: Why the sex and gender conflicts in the early church still matter. New York: Continuum.]   According Tanenbaum, there are four modes of perception of reality: physical modes, intellectual, emotional and spiritual (in the relational sense). While women can more easily navigate from one to the other method, men would be more comfortable in the physical and intellectual modes. Man, for example, will have sad or happy thoughts (cognitive) and express his feelings with his body (physical): the action is his priority. The woman, meanwhile, feels sadness and may even have emotions, without any reason, which is very difficult to understand for humans. While the man expressesfeelings the physical way (erection cathedrals) or mentally (theology and philosophy), the woman sees and describes his spiritual experience directly in emotive terms; the relationship between her and the environment is a priority, while the action on the environment would be that of man. Again, does it make a difference between the easily interchangeable gender roles and sexual function related to the nature of man and woman?[Aries, E. (1996). Men and women in interaction reconsidering the differences. New York: Oxford University Press.]  Instead of trying by every means to remove our differences, it will be better to understand them, respect them and use the information for the benefit of the couple, the family and society. On the contrary, our gender could thus become complementary, for it is natural. Gender differences in communication styles In perspective of self-development, it is interesting to pay attention to both these two aspects, sensory and understanding of the principles. Because both have their advantages and are complementary, it can be tedious or impossible to correct functional causes in certain circumstances. The communication styles of men It involves questioning and presenting a different point of view (being the devil's advocate). They have the desire to collect more information or to better understand the nature of the problem. They are direct, concise and authoritative to communicate decisions. Men desire to communicate effectively, enhance the functional hierarchy and show a sense of responsibility for decisiveness .They invade the space of the others; talk more in an authoritarian tone, pause, and set the mind to control the audience. They possibly desire to impress and establish respect and leadership.[Perry, L., & Communication, L. (1992).Constructing and reconstructing gender: The links among communication, language, and gender. Albany: State University of New York Press.] They speak to find solutions, develop an action plan and are excited by removing frustration. Theyare driven by the desire to see concrete results and achieve objectives. Women's communication styles They express personal feelings and sense of vulnerability, complimenting others. They desire to establish the relationship, trust and cohesion. They have a tendency to stop and invite others to speak in turn unlike men. They desire to establish respect and balance structuring communication. They apologize or ask for help. Possibly they desire to show strength and confidence, as the context of the conversation might demand. They desire to establish a mutual understanding and support. They ask questions without using authoritarian language when in a position of authority. They also ask rhetorical questions to guide and influence. Women desire to create a climate of respect and collaboration, not to insist on hierarchical relationships and strengthen motivation and intrinsic work team.[Joffe, L. (2013). Gender, religion, & family law theorizing conflicts between women's rights and cultural traditions. Waltham, Mass.: Brandeis University Press.] Understanding what makes men and women in everyday conversations will help you communicate more effectively, even if you are talking to an alien! Our ideas with respect to gender differences in communication styles are constantly changing and vary according to circumstances. For example, my brother grew up with three sisters and he was influenced by a female culture. By cons, my husband had brothers and sisters, and was raised in a multicultural area. His communication style was so flexible that it turned into a chameleon to adapt to different social contexts. While men seek to solve problems and to establish a hierarchy, women tend more to govern the intimacy and distance and preserve social cohesion (Flett, 2008). However, we are all influenced by social behavior, the complexity of a multicultural society, and other social factors, including economic realities. Considering all the factors that come into play, have a simple conversation is not necessarily that simple. The art of communication is paramount whether in interviews or in small groups at major meetings. But on this point, men and women are very different and do not express things the same way. We are in a different debate that is recurring on inequalities between men and women because we do not speak of inequality but rather differences, it seems necessary to understand and analyze these factors. It is already often difficult to communicate with people of different hierarchies, but when the kind of interlocutors becomes a new constraint, some messages do not go as they should. Men see the world as a hierarchy, and women see the world as a community Men seek to position themselves in a hierarchy, while women are more interested to understand and be understood. Specifically: in meetings, women will speak only if they have something they consider important to say. Men, in the meanwhile, will speak whatever happens. Similarly, women tend to seek membership with their hierarchy before acting. Men have a different behavior: they believe that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission. Finally, as a final illustration: women will tend to value or to give merit of the work that their team has done, in this way, people in the team will have more confidence. In these two behaviors, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to act, just a need to better understand the speaker. For man, the discussion has a specific goal. Behind every conversation lies a problem to solve, he seeks an effective way to find the origin of it as quickly as possible. For woman, the discussion can express her feelings and what she means. This involves a time for sharing that creates intimacy in the couple. This sharing allows her to get rid of negative feelings and move forward positively in the relationship. What to say? For man, efficiency and productivity exists in all areas, including discussion. When he tells a story, he usually organizes things in his mind and mentions only the details that seem important to him. He sometimes wonders why women talk so much and will not hesitate to interrupt his speech if he has enough arguments to respond to a problem. For woman, the discussion can explore and organize her thoughts. She needs to talk to identify excessive or unnecessary information but a woman does not always look for a solution to a problem when discussing it. Listening For man, listening is an active phenomenon. When in the middle of a discussion with a woman, he...