Week 14

Mental Health Issues

in local context

COMMUNICATION AND
SOCIAL WELL-BEING
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Importance of Communication

 All species communicate – nature of

identifying needs, desires, or interests to
other species.
 Killer of relationship – too little
communication, inappropriate
communication, misinterpreted
communication – could damage a
relationship.
 Humans cannot function fully by
themselves.
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 People who have multiple roles in life and

who are involved with others tend to be
healthiest (Umberson, 1987; Verbrugge,
1985).
 Communication takes place on 2 different
level: what is actually said (the content)
and what is going on between individuals
(Blonna, 1996). Both are very important
issues in effective communication.
 It is possible that an innocent message
being sent to somebody could be greatly
misinterpreted.
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 The term relationship is not just referring to

two people who are involved
romantically and physically.
 It also refers to other intimate relationships,
such as work-related relationships
(employer-employee), relationships
between parent and child, and
relationships between friends.
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Components of Effective Communication

 Two of the most important include
nonverbal communication and listening
(Egan, 1988; McKay, Davis & Fanning, 1983).

Nonverbal Communication
 There are also nonverbal aspects of
communicating needs, desires, and wants –
through facial expression or body position.
 Body language can be another barrier to
effective communication.
 The space between individual can have an
impact on communication.
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Components of Effective Communication (cont

…)
 Hall (1973) has demonstrated that four space
zones exist.
a. Intimate space – allows close proximity and
is limited to those who are intimate partners.
b. Personal space – is primarily reserved for
close relationships in which touching may or
may not take place.
c. Social/constructive space – is for less
intimate involvement.
d. Public space – is for formal gatherings and
involvement with large groups.
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Listening
 Three major issues are associated with
listening:
i. Not correctly hearing what the person is
saying
ii. Not paying attention
iii. Being interrupted

 ii
and iii can be very frustrating for people – it
does not allow for effective communication.
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 In addition, it is important for the listener to

provide some indication that indeed, he or
she is listening.
 Essential behaviours such as eye contact
help ensure the talker that the listener is
listening.
 Periodic nods or comments (“aha, I see”)
also let a person know that the other person
is listening.
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Listening (cont …)
 The importance of active listening is two-
fold:
1. It lets people know they are being heard.
2. It allows both people to clarify what is
being said.

 Active listening can assist in clarification.

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The Risk-Taking Aspect of Effective

Communication
 For effective communication to take place,
a person needs to take risk.
 What is a risk? A risk, according to Merriam-
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (1993), is
the “possibility of loss or injury”.
 Thus, if people take risks in relationships,
they are possibly exposing themselves to
some problems (i.e., arguments, breakups,
or even the truth).
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Risk Taking in Mental Health

 Risk taking has certain characteristics that are
applicable to mental health.
 First, risk takers hardly become bored. Risk
taking prevent stagnation.
 Second, risk takers have the attitude, “Let’s
see what happens?”. They realise that they
may fail, but they are willing to try. This “not-
afraid-to-fail” is an important element to
remember.
 Third, after a decision have been made, a risk
taker often exhibits confidence – in
participating in the event that may be risky.
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Assertiveness
 Greenberg (1999) encourages people to try
to remain assertive, because assertiveness
allows people to express themselves and
get what they want but not at the expense
of others.
 Passive, assertive and aggressive?
 Being passive allows people to feel like they
are being ‘used’.
 Being aggressive results in people tending
to ‘use’ others.
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Assertiveness (cont …)
 people sometimes become aggressive if
being assertive is not effective, but being
assertive prevents people from moving to
the aggressive stage.
 So how can you express yourself, satisfy your
own needs, and not hurt others in the
process? It is tough.
 How do you become assertive?
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Assertiveness (cont …)
 Blonna (1996) identifies several ways to be assertive
when refusing an offer:
1. Face the other person from a normal distance.
Being too close can be misinterpreted as being
aggressive; being too far may be viewed as
timidity.
2. Look the person directly in the eyes.
3. Keep your head up.
4. Speak clearly, firmly, and at a volume that can
be heard.
5. Just say no.
6. Be prepared to repeat the no – some people are
persistent.
7. Stick to your guns. If this is something that you do
not want to do, maintain your decision.
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 Bonna (1996) offers the following

suggestions for when you feel compelled to
explain the decision:
1. Thank the person for the offer
2. Express appreciation for their confidence
in you.
3. Affirm your friendship with the person
4. Reject the offer, not the person.
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Conflict Resolution
 Related to both assertiveness and the issue of
stress is being able to resolve problems in a
relatively peaceful matter without loss of dignity
for either party.
 Seaward (1997) notes that conflicts tend to
focus on content, values or ego.
 Content conflicts result from misinterpretation of
information.
 Value conflicts tend to result from differing
values or beliefs that people may posses.
 Ego conflict (often the hardest to deal with)
result in a win-lose approach in which each tries
to prove that he or she is correct and the other
is wrong.
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 How do people resolve conflict?

 Some tips for conflict resolution follow:
1. Make sure that you get the name of the person
to whom you are talking.
2. Make sure that you speak to somebody who
has the authority to address your needs.
3. Beforehand, make a written list of your
concerns and what you feel should be done to
resolve the issue.
4. Understand that there are two sides to the
story, and let the other side know that you
want a peaceful resolution to the problem. Ask
what that person would do in your position.
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5. If you are still not satisfied, ask the person

who his or her supervisor is.
6. Keep a notepad nearby to keep tract of
important names, ideas, phone numbers,
and so on.
7. Remember that most companies want to
maintain their good reputation and want
their customers satisfied.

 Many of these same principles apply not

only to business problems but also to
interpersonal problems.
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Summary
 Effective communication is paramount to
maintaining mental health.
 The entire gamut of a person’s life is
focused around dealing with others
(home life, work life, friendships), and if
communication is not maintained,
problems can exist.
 Such problems can result in unhappiness,
depression, lowered self-image, and a loss
of control.
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 For communication to be effective, the

dynamics of effective communication must
be understood.
 Active listening is critical, along with the
willingness of individuals to not allow
interruptions to interfere with efforts.
 The role of risk taking in relationships are also
discussed.
 The importance of dealing with conflicts
and offers suggestions for resolving problems
with people in personal conflicts,
professional conflicts, or consumer conflicts.