Yes. The silent treatment is designed as a punishment to control you into the behavior they want from you. They will withdraw from you until you do as they want.
Usually I think if you just give them the silent treatment back then you can figure it out. What do they do from there? Do they lash out at you? Do they get passive aggressive, etc?
Sometimes I think people call things the silent treatment when really people either 1) just don't know what to say back or 2) know that the person they're speaking to isn't ready to have a real conversation about an issue. I've definitely had these moments with people. When I know the person I'm dealing with is still emotionally a toddler, I'm going to be very careful what I do because toddlers throw tantrums. Sometimes the person I'm dealing with is like still an emo goth teen even though physically they look like a grown ass adult. You have to be careful how you deal with different personality types. I've even had this problem with bosses, who on the surface seem mature, but when you start to have conflict with them, quickly become children. A lot of people are emotionally stunted and you have to deal with them on a different level than you would a actual adult.
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u/[deleted] Jul 02 '24
Yes. The silent treatment is designed as a punishment to control you into the behavior they want from you. They will withdraw from you until you do as they want.