Give a Constructive yet critical response to the following post, min 350 words with citations.
Meta-messaging is a great way for a person to express their thoughts without actually verbally communicating (Hocker & Wilmot, 2014). This is a passive aggressive approach within a conversation that may lead to conflict. When people use meta-messaging as a way to express their feelings, people may feel as if they are being attacked, even if verbal communication is not being used. With that being said, meta-messaging can certainly affect a person within a relationship. According to Hartwell-Walker (2016), meta-messaging within a relationship may lead to conflict, simply because open communication is not being used (Hartwell-Walker, 2016). Most people like to be confronted directly, so using meta-messaging may lead to open ended communication, which may later lead to conflict. Conflict during these types of scenarios may be present, simply because one person may not express their complete feelings towards a certain topic. When this happens, trust may be greatly affected, due to the fact that the situation may not be completely resolved. Meta-messaging also makes it extremely difficult for people to resolve a conflict, since all feelings and concerns are not always brought to light (Hocker & Wilmot, 2014).
One example of meta-messaging that may be true in a lot of people’s lives is communication between husbands and wives. If a husband askes, “did you have a good day today?” and the wife responds with “it was okay, and sighs”, this may lead to conflict later. Often times people do not like to guess about one’s feelings and this response would leave room for more questions. Meta-messaging is common among people, but is not always a great way to avoid conflict (Hartwell-Walker, 2016). The best way to confront a conflict when messaging is to be up front and let the person know your feelings, without making them guess. Each and every person has their way of communicating, some being better than others, but usually avoiding open ended answers is a great way to start.
