The Interactional View by Watzlawick Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Interactional View by Watzlawick - Essay Example The Interactional View says that the first axiom is people are always communicating, even when they are not saying anything. It says that communication is content plus relationship. Content is what people say, while relationship is how people say them. Metacommunication is also the relationship, which the way people communicate about their communication. The last time my grandmother and I talked, the content of our topic is dating. She warned about dating white Americans because of her stereotyping that they can have very sexual views of women. I did not want to correct her that even Chinese men also have sexual views of women. Then, I told her that I am not currently dating any white or any other ethnic or racial group, but if I did, it should not be a problem because I own my heart and life. She got angry and yelled at me over the phone and hanged up. I was very hurt, but I called her again and said sorry. I remember now that my metacommunication regarding this topic is angry and d efensive. I have disrespected my grandmother. To understand more my communication with my grandmother, I can use the concepts of complementary interchange, one-up communication, one-down communication, and one-across communication. Complementary interchange means that parties know that they have power differences. One-up communication is a move to control the exchange, one-down communication is a move to give control of the exchange, and one-across communication is the move to level the control of the exchange.