Question

A social worker meets with a couple who have difficulty expressing feelings. During one session, the couple begin to argue about fiances. The husband yells and the wife cries. The husband responds by saying, "Crying won't work. You need to spend less money." This interaction BEST demonstrates the:

A. use of anger to control
B. wife's crying as manipulation
C. husband's beliefs about gender roles
D. couple's poor communication skills

Answer 1

The couple's exchange during therapy highlights their poor communication skills, as the husband dismisses emotions with a financial rebuttal and fails to engage constructively.

Step-by-step explanation:

The interaction between the husband and wife during the therapy session best demonstrates the couple's poor communication skills. The husband's dismissal of his wife's emotion and reduction of the conversation to a financial directive fails to acknowledge the emotional complexities involved. Furthermore, his response might not only illustrate issues around financial power dynamics highlighted by researchers like Blood and Wolfe (1960) but also indicates a lack of empathy and supportive communication which is vital for resolving conflicts in a relationship. Sociologists like Friedrich Engels have noted that financial dependence can affect gender roles and power dynamics within a family structure, contributing to the tension in such scenarios. However, without effective communication, deeper issues related to power inequality and misunderstandings remain unresolved, likely leading to conflicts like the one presented.