It's not always good to talk

Ellis, Darren; Cromby, John

Abstract

How many times have you been asked ‘How are you?’ and, regardless of how you were actually feeling, replied with a simple ‘Fine’? Or asked someone ‘Are you OK?’, and nodded whilst asking in order to encourage a positive reply? Much of the time the literal meaning of such questions is submerged in the rituals of greeting, and so a failure to address their literal content is not treated as a breach of expectations (Antaki & Widdicombe, 1998). But, unremarkable as it may seem, is this habit also a sign of our culture’s lack of concern for emotional matters?

Citation

Ellis, D., & Cromby, J. (2018). It's not always good to talk. Psychologist, 17(11), 630-631

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Nov 18, 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 7, 2023
• Journal: The Psychologist
• Print ISSN: 0952-8229
• Publisher: British Psychological Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 630-631
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10337011
• Publisher URL: https://cms.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/ellis04.pdf