单项选择题
| Most of us are taught to pay attention
to what is said-the words. Words do provide us with some information, but
meanings are derived from so many other sources that it would hinder our
effectiveness as a partner to a relationship to rely too heavily on words alone.
Words are used to describe only a small part of the many ideas we associate with
any given message. Sometimes we can gain insight into some of those associations
if we listen for more than words. We don’t always say what we mean or mean what
we say. Sometimes our words don’t mean anything except "I’m letting off some
steam. I don’t really want you to pay close attention to what I’m saying. Just
pay attention to what I’m feeling." Mostly we mean several things at once. A
person wanting to purchase a house says to the current owner, "This step has to
be fixed before I’ll buy." The owner says, "It’s been like that for years."
Actually, the step hasn’t been like that for years, but the unspoken message is:
"I don’t want to fix it. We put up with it. Why can’t you" The search for a
more expansive view of meaning can be developed of examining a message in terms
of who said it, when it occurred, the related conditions or situation, and how
it was said. When a message occurs can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples do exactly the same amount of kissing and arguing. But one couple always kisses after an argument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors may mean a great deal more than the frequency of the behavior. A friend’s unusually docile(温顺的) behavior may only be understood by noting that it was preceded by situations that required an abnormal amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a developing pattern of responses and defy logic. For example, a person who says "No!" to a series of charges like "You’re dumb!" "You’re lazy!" and "You’re dishonest!" may also say "No!" and try to justify his or her response if the next statement is "And you’re good looking." We would do well to listen for how messages are presented. The words: "It’s surely nice to have you by my side." can be said with emphasis and excitement or ritualistically. The phrase can be said once or repeated several times. And the meanings we associate with the phrase will change accordingly. Sometimes if we say something infrequently it assumes more importance; sometimes the more we say something the less importance it assumes. |