Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication Essay

Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication - Essay Example 3). One strongly believes that this phenomenon, the closeness-communication bias is significantly manifested in most close interpersonal relationships in contemporary times due to the preconceived notion that closeness is synonymous with understanding what the other person really intends to relate. In one’s personal experience, there is a feeling of complacency that closeness between spouses or friends is actually indicative of knowing what the other person needs or wants – even prior to communicating the message. However, one was surprised to find out from the study that this notion is untrue. When one searched further on the closeness-communication bias, the research study conducted by Savitsky, Keysar, Epley, Carter, and Swanson (2011) entitled â€Å"The closeness-communication bias: Increased egocentrism among friends versus strangers† and published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the findings included the element of egocentrism, defined as â€Å"the philosophy or attitude of considering oneself the center of the universe† (The Free Dictionary, 2012, p. 1). The outcome of the study indicated that â€Å"egocentrism increases when one interacts with close friends—individuals who are assumed to be similar to oneself, and f or whom one may therefore relax efforts to correct an initial, egocentric default† (Savitsky, Keysar, Epley, Carter, & Swanson, 2011, p. 272). This is a surprising revelation because at it explains, taking one’s understanding that the other person knows more about oneself contributed to the perception that the other person actually understands more than what is actually being communicated. In response, therefore, to the following questions: (1) Have you ever had a miscommunication with someone close to you simply because you assumed that they understood you? What happened? The answer is yes. A close friend was usually assigned to do powerpoint presentations in academic projects. When