{"id":244,"date":"2017-01-26T22:37:05","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T22:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tcuschieffer.wpengine.com\/communication\/?p=244"},"modified":"2018-12-17T17:32:39","modified_gmt":"2018-12-17T22:32:39","slug":"paul-schrodts-research-on-the-silent-treatment-featured-in-wall-street-journal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schieffercollege.tcu.edu\/communication\/paul-schrodts-research-on-the-silent-treatment-featured-in-wall-street-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Schrodt\u2019s research on \u201cthe silent treatment\u201d featured in Wall Street Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Illustration courtesy of the Wall Street Journal<\/p><\/div>\n

At some point in their lives, most people have probably been the\u00a0receiver \u2013 or the giver \u2014 of the infamous \u201csilent treatment.\u201d It\u2019s generally acknowledged that this type of communication\u00a0shutdown isn\u2019t the best way to deal with a problem, but according to research by communication studies professor\u00a0Paul Schrodt<\/a>, it\u2019s even more detrimental than most people may think.<\/p>\n

Schrodt\u2019s findings, along with those of other communication scholars across the nation, were recently the subject of the\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u00a0article \u201cHow and Why to Ban the Silent Treatment from Your Relationship.\u201d (Read the article here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The silent treatment is part of what researchers call the \u201cdemand-withdrawal\u201d pattern. According to the WSJ article, \u201cIt happens when one partner repeatedly approaches the other with a request, whether asking for attention or change\u2014or giving criticism\u2014and is met with avoidance or silence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schrodt and colleagues conducted an analysis of 74 studies involving more than 14,000 participants. The findings, which were published in the March 2014\u00a0Communication Monographs<\/em>, showed that the\u00a0demand-withdraw pattern is one of the most damaging types of relationship conflict. It\u2019s also one of the hardest patterns to break.<\/p>\n

According to Schrodt, who was lead researcher in the analysis, both partners have a hand in the silent treatment \u2014 yet each blames the other. The person making the demands feels shut out and that his or her emotional needs are being neglected; conversely, the person withdrawing feels nagged.<\/p>\n

But there is hope. Schrodt advises that becoming aware of the pattern is the first step in breaking the demand-withdrawal cycle. Each partner should consider his or her role in the cycle and the other person\u2019s viewpoint, then talk it out.<\/p>\n

At TCU, Schrodt teaches courses on interpersonal communication, family communication and conflict resolution. An avid researcher, his work has\u00a0published in more than 60 articles in leading communication journals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At some point in their lives, most people have probably been the\u00a0receiver \u2013 or the giver \u2014 of the infamous \u201csilent treatment.\u201d It\u2019s generally acknowledged that this type of communication\u00a0shutdown isn\u2019t the best way to deal with a problem, but according to research by communication studies professor\u00a0Paul Schrodt, it\u2019s even more detrimental than most people… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-stories","category-faculty-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPaul Schrodt\u2019s research on \u201cthe silent treatment\u201d featured in Wall Street Journal - Communication Studies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/schieffercollege.tcu.edu\/communication\/paul-schrodts-research-on-the-silent-treatment-featured-in-wall-street-journal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paul Schrodt\u2019s research on \u201cthe silent treatment\u201d featured in Wall Street Journal - Communication Studies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At some point in their lives, most people have probably been the\u00a0receiver \u2013 or the giver \u2014 of the infamous \u201csilent treatment.\u201d It\u2019s generally acknowledged that this type of communication\u00a0shutdown isn\u2019t the best way to deal with a problem, but according to research by communication studies professor\u00a0Paul Schrodt, it\u2019s even more detrimental than most people... 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