Communication Week

This week in class we discussed  how we communicate with others, different kinds of power in a marriage, and the importance of coming together as a family and making important discussions. We discussed in class this week that we not only communicate with our language, but with our facial expressions, our body movements, and the tone we use when we talk. It is extremely important that if  we don't quite understand what someone is saying we need to ask them what they really mean. It is also important to take a break from talking with someone when you are upset, give yourself a little breathing room and then go back and address the situation. We should do this because when we take a break from upsetting moments our emotions are able to calm down, which will help us think more clearly. There are five different types of power in a marriage; coercive, legitimate, expert, referent, and informational. Coercive power is avoiding punishment by spouse, legitimate power is more about duty to one another, expert power is that either spouse has expertise in something, referent power is wanting to please your spouse, and informational power is making sure that what your spouse wants is in her or his best interest. In class we talked about how the last three powers are probably the best powers to use in a marriage. It is important to come together to make decisions as a family, because it allows members to have the opportunity to speak openly and frankly. It allows every one's voice to be heard, because every one's  opinion is important. It also invites members of the family to have a deeper bond.