Empowered Communication: The Key to Healthy Relationships

Too many relationships are one-sided.?

We all know at least one couple with a domineering wife or husband who commands the relationship. Similarly, I’m sure most of us have a workplace horror story with a micromanaging boss.?

Many of us have gone without our voices heard and felt powerless at some point in our lives.?

We can take our faculty back by understanding the fundamental principles that influence all relationships: power dynamics. Whether you're looking to enhance your romantic partnership, fortify professional connections, or improve your networking skills, understanding these dynamics is the first step toward fostering healthier and more rewarding relationships.

Relationship dynamics are the patterns of emotions, communication, and interactions that determine how individuals form bonds with each other. They tend to arise over time as each person builds trust, respect, and admiration for the other. They determine our negotiating and authoritative power in our relationships.?

Ultimately, communication carries the most influence in relationship power dynamics.?

Communication is the bedrock of modern society. Without the ability to understand and share our thoughts, feelings, findings, and daydreams, we would have never built the world we live in. Whether it’s with our boss, spouse, or best friend, our ability to communicate determines how we relate to others. However, not all forms of communication are efficacious.?

Effective communication requires active listening, honestly and compassionately expressing your feelings, and resolving conflicts in a way that benefits all parties.?

Think of it like this: If you are seeing a recurring issue at work but can’t seem to vocalize it to any of your superiors, you’ve failed to meet the expectations of your relationship to your company.?

Once your boss realizes you noticed the issue without addressing it, you’ve in turn damaged the trust and rapport between you. You’ve essentially decreased your negotiating power for promotions by failing to communicate.

In a similar vein, imagine that your partner takes issue with some innocuous behavior, like the way you do laundry. If they fail to express their frustrations to you, they’ve given you no opportunity to improve or rectify the situation. In this case, your partner has taken some of your power away in the relationship by withholding communication.?

These scenarios are examples of how power imbalances are created in relationships via lack of communication. It’s important to understand that in these situations, an individual failed to actively communicate an issue.?

Communication can also be used as a weapon used to belittle others or push certain agendas. Gaslighting and negging are perfect examples of weaponized communication that attempt to manipulate someone into believing they are insane or worthless.

If you start to feel isolated, constantly criticized, disrespected, or shamed, it’s likely that one of your relationships has a power dynamic imbalance.

No matter if it’s your work colleague or romantic partner, imbalanced power ultimately leads to abuse in one form or another. It’s your responsibility to analyze who is disempowering you and how to regain your faculty.?

Of course, your goal should never be to have the upper hand, as that leads to one-sidedness. However, each party having equal power in any relationship is crucial to maintaining respect and trust.?

Understanding and navigating relationship dynamics is a complex and continually evolving process. All relationships- romantic, business-based, and familial- are central to our lives. Our interpersonal connections provide us with joy and fulfillment, yet they also present unique challenges and intricacies.?

If you suspect that you are in an imbalanced relationship or that someone is weaponizing communication against you, set boundaries to protect your happiness and self-esteem.?

“I think for any relationship to be successful, there needs to be loving communication, appreciation, and understanding.” - Miranda Kerr