COMMUNICATING SUPPORTIVELY
Supportive communication is the type of language that is used during the time of crisis. It involves acts of empathy, confidence, respect, and concern towards the victim in the crisis. Supportive communication also requires that practical and true information be given. In this case, both parties are crisis, one party being Jill and the other party is made up of Jill’s parents.
The parents were unhappy concerning her performance and they were justified since the dad asks her why she has not raised the issue again in the past. Jill is also a victim since her parents did not involve dialogue to know what her interests were before she was enrolled in the school. Therefore, to arrive at a mutual agreement, the two parties were required to use supportive communication strategies ideal for both sides. A number of obstacles that prevents its effectiveness face this type of communication. One of the obstacles to effective communication is defense leading to rigidity (Maye and Villaire, 2007). The parties in the communication feel threatened and what they do not next is try to defend them in the entire communication and that makes way for rigidity. Such a scenario plays up clearly in the case of Jill because she blamed her poor performance on being in a field that she considers boring. Furthermore, she says that she did not communicate about her problem earlier since she did not know what reaction her parents would be especially due to their liking for the field of study in question. Jill goes ahead to state that the manner in which her parents did react confirmed her fears and that diverts the crux of the conversation altogether. She aimed at making her parents feel guilty and hence own up to the mistake. On the other hand, her parents did not listen to her but instead they considered her disrespectful and unappreciative.
The end result is the disintegration of the whole conversation and a change in the matter of interest.The second obstacle for supportive communication is disconfirmation. Disconfirmation is a scenario whereby any of the parties in the crisis has a feeling that it is being undermined. For instance, the case shows that Jill’s parents were unhappy with her after she broke the news since they felt that she did not appreciate their efforts to have her in school. The feeling is annoying and hence it is difficult for a supportive communication to be achieved in its presence. In order for the communication between Jill and her parents to become supportive, attributes such as being problem oriented during the communication would assist the two parties from being personal and hence try to get a solution. In other words, Jill’s parents should not think of the much input they have given their daughter, but rather they should try to listen to her.
Her life is of concern here and her opinion counts. The parents do not heed to that and hence making a mutual understanding almost unattainable. Additionally, supportive communication …
