Healthy Communication Skills & Interpersonal Styles

• March 23, 2015
• victor
• Active Duty and Veteran Supports, General, Health, Healing and Wellness

Would you like to improve your relationships?  Do you find yourself surrounded by difficult people?  Do you notice increasing stress levels in your life?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to examine the communication style you are using.  Take a look at some common interpersonal styles.

AGGRESSIVE

The Aggressive Interpersonal Style is referred to when one person gets their own needs met at the expense of others. A person operating in this style is likely to have a lot of stress in their life. Some of it is self-induced but people are bound to react in ways to do not help the person attain their goals. Operating in this style over long term periods is also detrimental to the person’s physical health as well.

 

ASSERTIVE

When a person is using an Assertive Interpersonal Style, they are able to find win-win situations for both parties. This person is looking to meet their own needs at the same time as assisting others in meeting their needs. There are many benefits to using this style: less stress, more cooperation from others, better physical and emotional health…  An Assertive Interpersonal Style will not only use appropriate boundaries to help themselves but they are able to motivate others to show respect and concern for others.

 

 

 

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

When a person is using a Passive Aggressive Interpersonal Style, they are appearing to meet the other person’s needs but really are only focused on their own. Others around them become frustrated and confused. Many say that this is a covert way of expressing anger. In other words, it is hostility that many people may not be sure how to address because of its covert nature. It is not an effective way of managing relationships and in fact can be quite damaging.

 

PASSIVE

A Passive Interpersonal Style is when a person meets others’ needs at their own expense. This may seem preferable to some at first, but it is actually not best for either party. Allowing others to behave inappropriately towards you does not help them in the long run. If used over long periods of time, a person may experience emotional and physical health issues.

It may seem to be obvious that the Assertive Interpersonal Style is most effective with communication.  Each of the styles may be needed at different times.  If armed robbers enter your bank, it may be wise to not draw unwanted attention to yourself and choose the Passive Interpersonal Style but if this is the only style a person chooses to use, they may have extreme difficulty getting their needs met.

In order to reduce stress, it is best to learn to use Assertive Communication Skills.  Some of these would include:

• I-Statements
• Listening
• Empathy
• Believability Checks
• and others

Learning these skills will empower you to take responsibility for communicating more effectively.  This will help to improve your relationships.  Contact us if you are interested in improving your relationship skills and decreasing the stress in your life.  We look forward to helping you improve your communication skills and develop healthier habits.  You can be empowered to have much healthier and fulfilling relationships.

www.OzarksWellness.com