When Women Give the "Silent Treatment"

LOL! I can only speak for myself and my husband. You are right. Me not talking is probably the sweetest thing to my man’s ears however if I’m talking, he knows how I’m feeling so can better PREDICT my next moves. If I NOT talking, he has no idea what my next moves may be.

The only thing my man hates more than me talking too much is if I stop talking.
 
debodun said:
Why do women feel that ignoring someone is the greatest punishment they can give? To most husbands/SOs, that may seem more like a blessing.
Click to expand...
You are so correct! Except maybe a bit turned around...
I have been married well over 50 years. And my 'dear' wife has NEVER been quite...Sometimes it is a blessing, sometimes not so much...
 

Men are still wired to be providers and protectors, despite the changes since society has industrialized and urbanized. Even if the wife is rich and/or has a more lucrative career it still applies.

A husband needs information about her needs and the feedback that helps him know when he has done well helping to meet those needs. Simply breaking communication can undermine his self worth and put him under a black cloud of failure.
 
Women aren't the only ones who give “the silent treatment." Men also clam up.

I'm not the silent type. My man wouldn't be that lucky. He'll know what I'm thinking. What can I say? I'm a communicator. Sometimes you don't have to say much to get your point across. But silent, that ain't happenin'.
 
My aunt would not speak to my uncle for weeks. He would always apologize and try to get back in her good graces. The reason was not because she wasn't speaking to him........she would not cook for him either. Or do his laundry. His clothes would pile up. She would make herself his favorite meals and he would be dying for it. They were farmers but both worked jobs off the farm as well. They were married for about sixty years I think.
 
I think when anyone gives the "silent treatment" as a form of punishment, it is ill advised. However, I do feel there can be a time for silence when voices are raised and tempers are raised, because the fight or flight response takes over when we feel under attack. At that point, sometimes things are said and done that can have lasting damage.

Calm discussions are the best because it gives time for thought and understanding what the problem is. If it takes a while to calm down for that to happen, then it's hard to argue with silence. But it should not be used as punishment. It should only be used as a temporary time out, with the intention to fully reengage when things have settled down. JMO
 
bobcat said:
I think when anyone gives the "silent treatment" as a form of punishment, it is ill advised. However, I do feel there can be a time for silence when voices are raised and tempers are raised, because the fight or flight response takes over when we feel under attack. At that point, sometimes things are said and done that can have lasting damage.

Calm discussions are the best because it gives time for thought and understanding what the problem is. If it takes a while to calm down for that to happen, then it's hard to argue with silence. But it should not be used as punishment. It should only be used as a temporary time out, with the intention to fully reengage when things have settled down. JMO
Click to expand...
yep ..only... man would say that..cuz you know the consequences of a woman's long silence... :sneaky:
 

When Women Give the "Silent Treatment"​


Oh, mercy, mercy, please spare me from one of our lovely ladies have their tongues in overdrive and giving me an ear lashing.

And, mercy, mercy, please spare me the torment and stress of the prolonged silent treatment and the dreaded eye glare.

I need a very large single malt just to calm my nerves at the thought of those two tortures. 😊
 
Just want to say that plenty of men give the silent treatment too. My Dad was one. One of my xs was another.

I think it's ok for awhile till people get their thoughts and emotions together 🤗
 
We might be coming at this thinking of different levels of infractions.

I guess I was assuming we were talking about small ones, not those at the verge of ending the relationship.
 
Let's say the two of you take off on an impromptu picnic. You stop and pick up sandwiches and such.

Then you get there and all of the nice spots have people there already. You picked the spot.

Open the sandwiches, and they're slathered in mayo. She sees mayo as somewhere between baby vomit and snot, she hates the stuff. And you know this.

The entire picnic thing was your idea.

So you get the silent treatment. You failed in your responsibilities.
 
Nathan said:
"Punishment"? Sounds pretty childish. However, if a person's all full of emotional negativity maybe keeping their mouth shut is not a bad idea.
Click to expand...
Let’s be realistic here
Most people are quiet when they aren’t happy
It’s a natural reaction to being scared, worried, disappointed, angry, sad, mad, annoyed etc. Should we try and pretend we aren’t scared, worried, disappointed, angry, sad, mad, annoyed etc? Be pretentious?

This thread does nothing but stereotype women . Nathan’s right! If a person ( male or female ) is full of negative emotions, why share them with others? We are ALL only human with a vast array of emotions. Most of us can’t easily shake off negative emotions. Most women go within themselves and most men lash out. Neither reactions are ideal but that’s part of being human.
 
A stereotype is a product of correlated experiences that people use as a template in anticipating future actions. Since humans also have language, sharing it becomes a way of increasing collective knowledge to help the group avoid making the same mistakes individually.

Can a stereotype fail in individual cases? Of course, they don't function as absolutes. They are only meant to improve, not ensure, the odds of making successful decisions in the face of low information.

We use them all of the time. When driving and you see a **** duck in a pickup truck you instantly know to be extra wary. The odds of a random swerve into your lane, sudden braking in your face due your view ahead being blocked, or a dangerous attempt to jump lanes and pass the car ahead of him go up astronomically. You apply a stereotype to improve survival.
 

Back
Top