Bolaji 1
Hannah Bolaji
English 151
Marianne Zarzana
3rd December, 2014.

Throughout the half century, our society has watched the divorce rate skyrocket to a high numbers. Whtever happened to tht meaningful exchange of words, “until death do us part”, uttered bythe bride and groom to eachMany people in troubled marriages say “We just don’t communicate anymore.” This means they don’t communicate effectively. The truth is that people communicate all the time. Even two people giving each other the silent treatment communicate with each other. A good marriage thrives on the open exchange of emotion, desires and beliefs. In fact, communication is one of the most important aspect of a satisfying marriage. Blaine Fowers, a professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Miami stated that “Communication skills is one of the most common approaches used to improve couples relationships” (327). According to family Life, communication is “essential to the life of a marriage.” Couples who are aware of their communication styles and responses to conflict confront disagreements more productively. Women most often pursue an argument, men usually retreat. Some couples avoid conflict altogether, until the silence drives a wedge into their intimacy. Communication ends marital conflict. Every couple, no matter how well they communicate in a relationship, has times where they disagree. At the same time, this doesn’t have to turn into a fight. Clifford Notarius, a psychologist maintains that the key to a good marriage “isn’t knowing how to avoid an argument but knowing how to get out of one after it has started.” Understanding why communication is important is the first step to improving communication in a relationship. Jonathan Pettigrew, communication researcher reported “couples who sent text messages experienced increased feelings of connectedness.” Communication