Causes of psychological barriers in communication. Psychological barrier

With innovations in companies, employees often have psychological barriers to their implementation. Often this is due to a lack of understanding of the essence of the new rules and the professional unpreparedness of specific employees.

Definition and essence of psychological barriers

The barrier of professional misunderstanding is characteristic of young employees who do not have significant practical experience due to the short service life and low positions held in the company. However, elements of incompetence can also affect more experienced employees and even managers.

To overcome amateurism, it is necessary to work on improving the professional skills among the personnel. You should also carefully acquaint employees with innovations and reveal their meaning for implementation in work.

An important point is the rejection of the innovation process, or the desire to stop it. The creator and bearer of resistance is the worker himself. It creates activities that interfere with the normal course of adaptation processes to a new environment, for reasons of a personal and situational nature. By its nature, the psychological barrier to innovation is an evolving phenomenon. Its stages are different depending on the categories of workers and the organization of the process. At the implementation stage, it is much higher and the resistance is greater. Development and work with innovations reduces the level of rejection.

This phenomenon is explained by the desire of people to maintain stability and choose a familiar and long-known model of behavior, in spite of the alien and unknown. A person acts according to his life stereotypes, which are designed to protect him from the risk of losing constancy.

Causes of the psychological barrier

Researchers note the following reasons for resistance to organizational innovations: economic, personal and socially adaptive. Basically, they depend on the belonging of people to certain psychological types.

Among the economics identified are the following:

  • Fear of being unemployed;
  • Unwillingness to reduce the level of earnings, due to the reduction of the working day;
  • Fear of lowering social status;
  • Fear of intensification of labor, without raising wages;

Thus, all the reasons come down to the loss of the usual established wages. That is why the employee forms a strong policy against innovations and innovations.

Personal reasons for psychological barriers include:

  • Misunderstanding of the essence of constructive criticism, perceiving it as an insult;
  • Fear that new professional skills will be unnecessary;
  • Infringement of pride due to failures with innovations;
  • Confidence that innovations increase the monotony of work and reduce the sense of self-worth;
  • Unwillingness to waste time and energy on retraining;
  • Fear of increasing labor intensity;
  • Fear of the unknown, due to a lack of understanding of the essence and results of innovations.

The social causes of psychological rejection are formed by the following:

  • Unwillingness to accept a new socio-psychological climate in the team;
  • The desire to maintain the usual way of things;
  • Fear of social change and job dissatisfaction;
  • Rejection of interference in personal affairs, as well as persons introducing innovations;
  • Dissatisfaction with the insignificance of their role in the process of introducing innovations;
  • Confidence that the new rules are beneficial only to the management of the company, and not to employees.

Types of psychological barriers

The following types of psychological barriers to innovations at work are distinguished.

  1. reinsurance barrier. It lies in the fact that subordinates are afraid that the innovation can cause negative consequences. The barrier is revealed in such behavior of employees as the desire to avoid responsibility when introducing innovations, the desire to insure written instructions, instructions, etc. The reinsurance barrier is found in the administrative-command style of management. Therefore, innovations serve the purpose of restructuring management methods, encouraging initiative, revising the criteria for evaluating subordinates and encouraging them in terms of diligence and performance.
  2. barrier of tradition. One of the most difficult reasons for moving to new rules is the need to change existing ways of working to innovative ways. Previous work skills allow you to perform actions quickly and without stress. Naturally, everything new, at first glance, deprives a person of efficiency and seems to him inappropriate. Such a barrier arises in people with a long work experience in one place. At the same time, young employees are more actively involved in a new business, although they face other types of barriers.
  3. Barrier of idyll. This type of psychological barrier is familiar to employees who have prosperity at work and a stable financial position to those who are satisfied with the conditions and results of work. They are not used to taking risks and are always content with what already exists. To speed up the process of restructuring the activities of the organization, it is necessary to eradicate such behavior and come up with a system to stimulate the activities of employees and adapt them to new conditions.
  4. Barrier of fear of loss of wages. Any technical, organizational or technical change entails fear among subordinates of loss of remuneration for work results. This usually reduces the activity of employees. Therefore, it is necessary to open up prospects for professional growth for them and stimulate them with an increase in material well-being, regardless of the innovations introduced.
  5. Job loss barrier. With innovations, many workers fear losing their jobs, as they are usually followed by downsizing or moving to a lower position at work.

How to overcome psychological barriers

Responsibility for overcoming psychological barriers is the responsibility of the leader. To avoid resistance, you need to follow simple rules, namely:

  • Actively involve employees in the adoption of innovation;
  • Careful study of the position of subordinates and the study of the negative and positive results of their reaction;
  • Working with constructive criticism of employees and paying attention to their wishes;
  • Creation of motivational mechanisms for attracting employees to new processes;
  • Creation of dependence of professional realization of subordinates and their work with innovations;
  • Information support of innovations. Explanation of their essence and real benefits, demonstration of real examples;
  • Do not constrain the initiative of subordinates;
  • Disclosing career opportunities, creating plans for the future of members of the organization in connection with the new rules of work.

Constant monitoring of the process of introducing innovations and monitoring the reaction of subordinates will allow you to successfully cope with the situation and get positive results.

In contact with


Communication has long been an integral part of our lives. At work, while studying, in transport, at home, on the Internet - but you never know where else! It occupies the lion's share of our time. And everything would be fine if it were not for communication barriers. It is they, these annoying hindrances, that prevent us from enjoying and benefiting from it. These barriers arise in a variety of situations and in almost every person. Therefore, in order to achieve success in life, you need to have a good understanding of what communication barriers are and how to overcome them.

What are the difficulties in communication?

Probably, each of you had the feeling that the interlocutor seemed to be defending himself, erecting an invisible wall between you. This wall is that notorious barrier. Where do they come from? Communication barriers appear in our lives for various reasons - as a rule, this is a close interweaving of the characteristics of our characters and situations. And already, it happens, you can’t figure out who or what is to blame.

As mentioned above, almost every person faced problems in various communication situations, regardless of their gender, age, social status, values ​​and attitudes. This can only mean one thing - the reasons for which there are barriers to communication are different, and they are present in the life of every person.

These reasons may or may not be recognized by communicating people. It largely depends on how quickly these people notice that they have problems, understand what kind they are, and finally be able to solve them. By the way, communication barriers can even be contrived by one or more interlocutors - and even this is enough for failures in interacting with each other.

It must be said that some barriers may be more common than others in certain people and in certain situations. They can be characteristic of a certain gender, age, profession, nationality, culture, situation. Each of these patterns deserves separate consideration, but we will not do this in the framework of our article.

So, what are the main types of communication barriers?

Communication barriers. These are communication barriers associated with the exchange of information between interlocutors in the course of communication. What are they?

semantic barrier. He gets in your way when you and your interlocutor mean completely different things by the same concepts. Such a barrier occurs almost always and everywhere, because. We have a very different understanding of many things. For example, for one girl, a good husband is one who loves her, takes care of her, earns enough money, wants a child, likes to spend time with her; and for the other, the one who rarely drinks and rarely beats her. Therefore, speaking on the same topic - “what kind of men are all the same!” - they will actually talk about different things and may encounter misunderstandings with each other. In order to destroy this barrier, it is necessary to understand the partner and his picture of the world well - the meanings that he puts into various concepts. In case of possible inaccuracies, always explain in detail what you mean, and try to use words and phrases that are understandable to the interlocutor.

logical barrier. In fact, this is the inability to express one's thoughts. In the speech of such a person, causal relationships are confused, there is a substitution of concepts. Or it can be difficult for him to find words for those complex thoughts that run through his head. If you encounter such an interlocutor, then be patient: listen to him very carefully and ask questions - this will help you get the information you need. If you yourself sin with such a feature, then it is better to try to get rid of it. Listen to how good speakers or writers express their thoughts, read a textbook on logic, take a public speaking class, or simply ask friends for feedback with recommendations - any of these options will help you become a more attractive conversationalist.

phonetic barrier. This is a bad speech technique - when it is not clear what the interlocutor is saying, and this makes it difficult to perceive information. If you are interested in communicating with this person, then there are several options. In formal or business communication, you will have to adapt to his manner of speaking, occasionally asking again in incomprehensible moments. In informal or friendly communication, you can gently convey to the interlocutor that it is difficult for you to understand him because of some features of his speech. Ask him, if possible, to adapt to you and correct them.

modality barrier. We all receive information from the world through five senses, but one of them is a priority. This is your modality. For example, people with a visual modality are best at assimilating the information they see, but the information they hear is much worse. Knowing this, try to immediately determine the modality of your interlocutor and use it: show graphs and diagrams to the visual, play with your voice with the auditory, and touch the kinesthetic more often and show everything “on your fingers”. Use appropriate verbs in your speech, such as “see,” “hear,” or “feel.”

Personal barrier. Each of us has a character, and some of its features may not suit someone. But for someone, these features are so pointed that his character can be a barrier in communication. This may be due to ignorance of their features or a lack of self-control. For example, excessive slowness or, conversely, fussiness can annoy communication partners. In case you yourself have encountered such a person, try to communicate your discomfort and ask him to be slower or faster. Well, try to adequately perceive your own shortcomings, because. for some, they can also become a barrier.

Interaction barriers. These are barriers associated with interaction with a person during communication and arising from dissatisfaction with the behavior of a communication partner. As a rule, there are significant differences in the positions of the interlocutors.

Motivational barrier. It occurs when communication partners have different motives for making contact. For example, you want support from a friend, but she wants you to discuss her new dress. In this case, you may encounter misunderstanding and even quarrel. To prevent this from happening, it will be useful to indicate your own motives in time: “You know, now I really need you to support me, and then we will discuss the dress.”

barrier of incompetence. Often found in collaboration. You may be angry at your partner's incompetence when he starts talking nonsense that is obvious to you. This causes feelings of anger, frustration and wasted time. You have two options - either gradually push him to a deeper understanding of the issue (for example, gently explaining something), or curtail communication. The choice is yours, and it depends on your goals.

ethical barrier. It arises in a situation of incompatibility of the moral positions of communication partners. The main thing is not to try to re-educate or ridicule your interlocutor. It is much more correct to curtail communication or try to find some kind of compromise, especially if you have some important common goal.

communication style barrier. Each of us has our own unique style. It depends on temperament, character, upbringing, profession and other factors. As a rule, it takes a long time to form, and then it becomes difficult to change it. Communication style includes the main motive (why do you communicate - self-affirmation, support, etc. ...), attitude towards others (kindness, tolerance, cruelty ...), attitude towards yourself and the nature of the impact on people (pressure, manipulation, persuasion and etc...). Most often, we have to simply accept the communication style of another person, since it is difficult to change it, and communication is often necessary.

Barriers to understanding and perception. These are barriers associated with the perception and knowledge of each other, as well as with the establishment of mutual understanding on this basis.

aesthetic barrier. It occurs when we do not like the way the interlocutor looks. There are various reasons for its occurrence, for example, if he is untidy or slovenly dressed, or we are annoyed by something in his appearance. It can be difficult not to think about it, but it is necessary, because this contact can be very important for us.

social barrier. The reason for difficulties in communication may be the different social status of partners. However, it is important to remember here that the appearance of such a barrier is primarily associated with attitudes in the minds of the interlocutors. If they attach importance to each other's social position and for them it can be an obstacle, this can complicate communication. But for many situations, status is unimportant - for example, to discuss some of your favorite activities or support each other.

Barrier of negative emotions. Agree, it is quite difficult to communicate with an upset or angry person. Many of us tend to take these emotions personally (at least in part). Here it is necessary to remember that often the reason for the bad mood of the interlocutor lies in some other things - the situation in the family, problems at work or a personal crisis. However, if the negative emotions of the interlocutor significantly impede the conversation, it is better to postpone it for another time.

installation barrier. Very often, communication is complicated if your partner initially does not have a very good opinion of you. In most cases, it will be best to discuss this issue and honestly ask the interlocutor about it, try to explain to him that he is mistaken. In those situations where this is not possible, just try to take this fact into account and build your communication with your partner carefully enough. When some time passes and he realizes that his installation is not supported by anything, it may disappear by itself.

Double barrier. It lies in the fact that we involuntarily think of our interlocutor as ourselves: we attribute our opinions and views to him and expect from him the same actions that we ourselves would have committed. But he is different! It is important not to forget about this and try to perceive and remember everything that distinguishes him from us.

Rudeness and ignorance. We all come across people who are simply ill-bred. Sometimes such treatment just needs to be endured, especially in the case when a person does not respond to comments. It is very important to remain polite in such a situation - sometimes this in itself suppresses rudeness. Remember that in dealing with such a person you have some kind of goal, and this is clearly not a desire to put him in his place.

Inability to listen. It manifests itself in a lack of interest in what you are saying, a desire to talk about yourself, or constant interruption. If you need a nosebleed in this situation to be listened to, try to speak better. Use various ways to attract attention: intonation, facial expressions, gestures, NLP basics.

Who is he - a person who regularly encounters barriers in communication?

We told you about the main barriers that prevent fruitful communication between people. However, have you noticed that some people constantly have some kind of difficulties associated with communication, while others go like clockwork?

Indeed, there are types of character that make it difficult to interact with other people. As a rule, such a person behaves in a similar way in completely different situations. And then he himself complains that no one wants to communicate with him. In this case, the personality of this person acts as a barrier in communication.

What are the main features of such a character? First of all, it is necessary to say about such a feature as global distrust. Such a person does not trust himself, nor people, nor the world in general. He is suspicious and opposed to those around him. As a rule, he achieves his goals at the expense of other people. At the same time, he is often torn apart by internal contradictions, which he is not very aware of. A person who is unsuccessful in communication is characterized by self-centeredness, authoritarianism and a tendency to manipulation.

He loves very much when he is praised, when he gets what he has long wanted. He has possessive traits. If his desires are not satisfied, he gets angry, but at the same time he almost never helps other people in achieving their goals and does not sympathize with them. Such a person is emotionally unstable, and his mood often changes. Those around him describe him as irritable and quick-tempered, but internally cold. He often experiences negative emotions and has a low level of self-control.

This person has a poor understanding of others and their feelings. He is insensitive to what happens to them, is distinguished by low insight and observation. It is not given to him to understand that something else may be important to the interlocutor or that he understands the meaning of this or that phrase in a different way. Often he is not able to predict and assess the future. He is characterized by timidity, isolation, self-doubt, alienation, passivity, lack of initiative.

Usually such a person turns out to be intolerant, poorly educated and ignorant. At the same time, he thinks in very rigid categories and frameworks, and the surrounding reality should not go beyond them. He has a lot of stereotypes. He is envious and at the same time conceited. Expects a lot from other people, prone to outbursts of jealousy.

He does not know how to argue his statements, choose an adequate form for them, establish and stop contact with others. Unsuccessful in communication, a person does not know how to give good feedback. He talks a lot and listens little, periodically makes unacceptably long pauses in his speech, likes to interrupt his interlocutors and then “slow down” (this is due to the fact that his vocabulary does not correspond to what he wants to say).

For him, social norms often turn out to be incomprehensible - he does not know how to keep his distance, he is prone to blackmail, lies, pressure and aggression. Most often in communication uses the following strategies: protection and avoidance of communication, depreciation of the opinions of others and aggression, control over others or excessive formalism. Such a person can be characterized as immature, infantile, and sometimes immoral.

As a rule, this person is not very satisfied with his life and success. Any failures cause anger and aggression in him, as a result of which he often tries to achieve his goals by some immoral means. He does not value himself or other people. He lacks the ability to truly love and have close relationships, so he usually does not have friends and loved ones.

Indeed, the psychological portrait we have drawn is terrible and resembles the image of some kind of criminal or marginal. But in one way or another, it is. Constant communication difficulties are a symptom that a person has something wrong inside himself. But it is far from necessary that he will have all the features and features listed above. The psychological portrait written above is collective, and it includes a great many different people with a common problem. Therefore, in life you can observe only some individual traits and features.

Difficulties in communication and life situation

However, it all depends not only on the personality and character of the person. There are situations in which almost all of us become uncomfortable. This is reflected in all our behavior, including communication with other people. In this case, the barrier is the situation that caused discomfort, and its features.

Once in such circumstances, all participants in communication feel uncomfortable. Some are more aware of this, and some less so. At the same time, they do not just feel it - by chance or on purpose they prevent each other from satisfying their desires and achieving the goals of communication. As a result of this, everyone is worried, angry, do not understand each other and generally tense up. Most often this happens in situations of restriction, refusal, accusation and insult (which, in general, is not surprising).

On the one hand, collective memory affects. Humanity in general and the inhabitants of Russia in particular have repeatedly experienced suppression, repression, wars, famine. Therefore, insults, accusations, restrictions and refusals are very clearly imprinted in the minds of people, who subsequently use them more and more often to resolve conflicts, overcome obstacles, gain power and even seek happiness. This is becoming a typical way of responding to an entire nation, speaking globally.

On the other hand, having such a negative memory becomes optional when we have such a richly represented culture of aggression. Probably, each of you will agree that a lot of attention is paid to aggression in modern society. All kinds of media are especially guilty of this - television, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, advertising companies. The culture of aggression is also gaining popularity due to some features of our lives: overcrowding of schools, hospitals and prisons, high unemployment, low qualifications of people working with the population, low salaries and lack of career prospects, corruption, poor quality of government work and much more, about which you know firsthand. You all experience this and know that these situations are always fraught with communication barriers.

How to understand that there is a barrier in communication?

Of course, being inside the situation, it is not difficult to do this. In the process of difficult communication, you experience discomfort, distrust of your partner, cannot open up, show emotions, do not know what to say - in general, such communication cannot be called easy. However, if you need to assess the presence of psychological barriers, then knowing how people behave in a situation of difficult communication will be very useful.

In the role of such an external indicator is our non-verbal. Hostility, craving for power and dominance, insincerity and the desire to stand out are especially clearly manifested in it. As we wrote above, our unlucky subject in communication can experience this whole gamut of feelings and desires. In what specific signs are all its negative features manifested?

1. First, it is eye contact. In the case of communication barriers, it is usually rare, not intense, and sometimes completely absent. Glances at a partner may be present (there are even long ones), but they all occur at the moment of active communication - especially when the interlocutor states something unpleasant, but important. Moreover, if the interlocutor begins to look away, sensing something was wrong, our “subject” will immediately try to pretend to be a darling and look into them - but this look will actually be cold and hard.

2. Secondly, this is the pose. Feeling difficulties in communication, people often take either unnatural, angular and tense postures, or vice versa, inadequately relaxed, sometimes even lax. Very often, the position of the body is closed (crossed arms, legs, the body turns away from the interlocutor) or “elevated” (the desire to sit higher, look down at the interlocutor).

3. Thirdly, gestures. As a rule, they are sharp and intense, which is also unnatural. The desire to hide the hands (for example, in pockets or behind the back), clench the hands into fists, “grab” or take up more space due to posture and gestures is clearly expressed. This may be interspersed with private touching of oneself and the other.

4. Fourth, facial expressions. The face often expresses tension. Facial expressions are strange - for example, the mouth can smile, but the eyes remain motionless. In general, the face is characterized by expressions that demonstrate distrust and hostility towards the interlocutor, as well as contempt and anger.

Of course, a person experiencing communication difficulties does not always behave in this way. These are only the most typical and striking markers, and from them one can conclude not only that there are barriers in the interaction, but also about the interlocutors themselves - about their attitude towards each other and about their goals and guidelines in communication.

How to overcome communication difficulties?

So, we moved on to the most interesting thing - how to step over psychological barriers. Difficulties in communication are not easy, but they can be overcome. "How?" - you ask. And we will tell you about some ways and techniques to overcome communication barriers.

Watch your appearance. This does not mean that you should always look like a movie star on the red carpet. On the contrary, in many situations it will be pretentious and unnatural. Your appearance should evoke sympathy. This is facilitated by accuracy, neatness and the ability to wear those things that really suit you.

The manner of communication should correspond to the situation and people. Agree, it will be a bad move if at the disco you communicate with everyone with restraint and strictness, and at the negotiations - fun and without distance. Consider the characteristics of the interlocutor: his age, gender, upbringing, character and views. For example, you should not wear a short skirt to a meeting with a Muslim.

Try to put yourself in the place of a communication partner and try to understand his point of view. As you probably already understood, we are all different from each other. The same things have completely different meanings for us, and we understand them just as differently. This is where most of the barriers come from. The best way to solve such problems is to allow the other to be different and different from you, and also to try to understand his position, even if you do not agree with it.

Practice empathy and sensitivity. This, accordingly, is the ability to empathize with other people and feel what is happening to them to the smallest changes in the state. These two traits are the key to success in communication.

Don't expect from your partners what they can't give you. So you only cause resentment in yourself and guilt in the other for not giving you. Try to want real things from partners that match their characteristics, and tell them about your expectations.

Do not try to fully live up to your partner's expectations. Firstly, it is boring, and secondly, it is very difficult, and it is impossible to exist like this for a long time. It is better to be natural to the maximum, but taking into account the interlocutor and social norms.

Watch your words. Your messages should be logically connected, contain information of interest to the interlocutor and rely on something in common - for example, a common understanding of the meaning of words or some kind of minimal shared memory. Your speech should be understandable to the interlocutor both in the literal sense and in the sense of matching his horizons.

Be open and honest about your thoughts, feelings, and expectations. If you are asked about something, and you are already sure of your refusal, it is better to voice it right away. So neither you nor the interlocutor will lose time and resources.

Reception "view from the side." Sometimes, in order to understand something (for example, to realize what specifically interferes with your communication with your partner), you need to look at the situation from the outside, describe it in abstract words without introducing your emotions and personal characteristics.

Respect your partner. Even if he annoys you incredibly, try to show your imagination and find something that will make you respect him. It can be some little thing, for example, his manner of highlighting individual words with intonation. Or something more serious - for example, a very rude person in communication, who at the same time spends half of his income on charity. In any person, you can find something good and worthy of respect, and if you can’t do this, then you should think - do you really need this communication?

Unfortunately, in life there is no such thing that you can communicate without barriers only with pleasant people. As a rule, we all somehow find ourselves in situations where these difficulties arise. The task facing you at this moment is to feel the barrier, determine its type and apply the method that most effectively eliminates it. Be calm, self-confident, tolerant of the weaknesses of others and try not to get into conflict situations!

A psychological barrier is a specific state of a person that does not allow him to realize what he wants or take an active position. Very often, being in a company, people cannot freely carry on a conversation, voice their thoughts, or do seemingly simple things. The inability to step over oneself and do what one wants because of inexplicable inner fears and experiences is a psychological barrier.

Each person more than once in his life faced one of the types of psychological barriers (we create them on a subconscious level). There is nothing wrong with that, as long as everything is within reason and under control. The presence of such a problem cannot be ignored if a person is constantly in a stressful and constrained state, because the limited movement and communication makes him withdrawn, irritated and unhappy. Self-doubt, low self-esteem, internal fears and internal conflict with oneself are the main causes of such a problem, but not always.

There are several types of psychological barriers that have their own differences and features.

Types of psychological barriers

  1. One of the most common options is "First Impression". Almost every person has built a psychological barrier in front of him more than once, without realizing it. It happens that at the first meeting (or visiting an unfamiliar place, company) people do not like their opponents. In this case, the behavior of an active and cheerful person becomes completely reversed. A silent position, unwillingness to actively take part in games (dances, discussions), complete immersion in one's own thoughts and a desire to end the acquaintance as soon as possible - this is precisely the barrier of the "first impression".
  2. Conflict in styles of thinking. Each of us is a person with his own perception of life situations and the presence of his own opinion. Voicing your thoughts and entering into an argument with the interlocutor about their rightness entails a conflict situation and an unpleasant aftertaste. Quite often, after loud and long discussions, everyone remains with their own opinion, and tension and misperception arise between opponents (each builds a personal barrier regarding the other).
  3. Mismatch of temperaments is another type of barrier that leads to the emergence of a barrier. Quite often, a psychological barrier can arise between a quick-tempered and overly active choleric and a slow phlegmatic. Without even suspecting, it is phlegmatic people who most often build protection because of the fear of an overly impulsive and gesticulating interlocutor. A similar situation exists between melancholic and sanguine, optimists and pessimists. Of course, there are practically no temperaments in their pure form. Depending on the ability and desire of a person to adapt and hear another, his feelings of comfort and the absence (or presence) of barriers in communication directly depend.
  4. The difference in goals is another reason that puts everything in its place. In the same situation, people can have completely different goals. Example: A family goes on vacation to the country. The husband wants to spend all his time fishing. The wife hopes to plant a garden and hopes for help from her husband and son. The child generally initially agreed to meet with friends. Despite the fact that everyone is heading to one place, everyone has their own plans, and no one wants to give in. It is precisely because of the inability to listen to the interlocutor and compromise that a psychological barrier arises in communication.
  5. The moral barrier is another variety that arises from dislike for a certain behavior of people (rudeness, arrogance, deceit, etc.). The presence of a psychological barrier is not always a negative phenomenon, but if this happens all the time, regardless of the situation and social circle, it is worth taking some measures to help solve problems.

Ways to overcome

  1. You should learn to understand yourself (to feel at what point the barrier begins to line up) and others (to see their behavior and recognize other people's barriers).
  2. Try to create a comfortable atmosphere during communication. If you notice that this or that topic causes a clash of characters and opinions, it is better to switch to something more optimistic, light and laid-back.
  3. The active use of a sense of humor always helps to relax and contribute to a fun dialogue.
  4. Too impulsive individuals should control their loud speech and active gestures a little.
  5. Attending socio-psychological trainings.

Communication is an integral part of human life. The ability to quickly establish contacts with others in modern conditions depends on the success of a person in almost all spheres of life. Everyone strives for pleasant and effective communication, but sometimes situations arise when the exchange of information is disrupted and it is difficult for partners to understand each other.

This is caused by communication barriers, which significantly complicate the dialogue between the interlocutors.

Language sometimes turns into a barrier instead of a road.
Daniel Keyes. Flowers for Algernon. Dr. Strauss

What are communication barriers?

These are factors that contribute to the loss and distortion of the meaning of information in the process of interaction. They lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of communication, the emergence of tension and negative experiences. Often they become the main cause of conflict situations. All communication barriers are divided into two groups: psychological and communicative.

"I" and "others": overcoming barriers

In everyday life, when we are faced with situations of communication, intimacy, negotiations or common activities with other people, there is often a feeling of “overcoming the barrier” or the existence of some large barrier between individuals that does not allow them to adequately interact with each other. Many philosophers, writers, and just everyday researchers have paid attention to the enormous difference in a person's perception of his “I” and the feeling of “others”.

Those people who are outside of our “I” turn out to be strangers, unpredictable and often bring discomfort, pain and disappointment - precisely because the closer a person becomes, the more individual ideas about what is right and wrong, how to live and act. Corresponding expectations are never justified, because the other person is a completely different, separately formed personality, who has other interests, abilities and goals in life. However, even such a completely logical disappointment makes one not discover the understanding of “others”, but move away from communication. J.P. Sartre formulated such a psychological process very aphoristically: “Hell is others”.

In fact, the path to mutual understanding is simple and unusually logical, oddly enough. In order to perceive other people normally and adequately, it is necessary to look closely at their characteristic reactions, ways of behavior, peculiarities of perceiving the world, what and how they do, and how they react to certain events. Careful observation should be accompanied by as wide and varied communication as possible, using as many tools as possible - conversation, joint activity, exchange of impressions, joint creativity or sharing of its results, etc. The more diverse situations a person manifests himself, the more you can learn about him, and the more accurate our behavior in relation to him will be.

Psychological barriers to communication

Psychological barriers arise as a result of the individual psychological characteristics of people who enter into the process of communication (secrecy, modesty, differences in temperament types), as well as as a result of the characteristics of relations between partners (distrust, antipathy).

Personal aspects become decisive for the emergence of situations of unproductive communication. Due to the fact that each person perceives the events and phenomena of the surrounding world subjectively, evaluates them from the point of view of his individual experience, it is sometimes difficult for him to understand a communication partner who has a different point of view and other features of perception.
The main types of psychological barriers:

  1. aesthetic barriers - arise in a situation where a person does not like the appearance of the interlocutor. This may relate to the features of his appearance, style of clothing, certain details of the wardrobe.
  2. intellectual barriers - are differences in the types of thinking, the speed of mental operations and differences in the level of intellectual development. For example, communication between an optimist and a pessimist cannot always be called productive, because one will look for pluses and ways out in any situation, and the second will focus on the negative. The barrier of incompetence can be attributed to intellectual ones, when a person does not understand the topic under discussion, which causes a feeling of upset or irritation in a communication partner.
  3. Motivational barriers - appear when people have different goals. This leads to misunderstanding, distorted perception of information.
  4. Moral or ethical barriers - the effectiveness of communication is hindered by the incompatibility of moral positions, principles, and views.
  5. installation barrier- if a person has a negative attitude towards a partner, then his words are not perceived objectively, often with an internal protest. It can arise as a result of previous communication experience or based on feedback from other people.
  6. Barrier of negative emotions or poor physical condition - refer to situational barriers. Sometimes communication problems arise when a person has a bad mood or well-being, and he is not in the mood to establish contact with others.

Communication barriers of communication

Communication barriers arise if there is a discrepancy in vocabulary between the interlocutors. This group also includes problems associated with the lack of analogies of concepts in different languages ​​and other translation difficulties.
The main types of communication barriers:

  1. Semantic barriers - arise when communication partners mean different things by similar concepts. For example, one person understands the phrase “a good method of achieving a goal” as a way that will not harm the people around him, and another - as a strategy to achieve the desired at any cost, even if others suffer.
  2. brain teaser barriers - appear if a person does not know how to clearly and consistently express his thoughts. In such a dialogue, causal relationships are violated, and concepts are often replaced.
  3. Phonetic barriers are the speaker's poor speech technique. When words sound fuzzy and incomprehensible, which makes it difficult to perceive information.

Video: Barriers in communication. How to overcome?

How to overcome communication barriers?

It is impossible to imagine a person in the modern world without speech communications. Every day you have to communicate at work or school, with friends or colleagues. But the real problem can be a barrier that prevents competent communication with others and separates a person from normal life.

One of the most common barriers is an inferiority complex. People with low self-esteem believe that they are inferior to others, do not see their own merits and prefer to live their lives quietly and calmly. But in fact, one has only to change the image, start working on oneself and smile at the difficulties, so the need for communication appears by itself. Self-doubt goes away with practice. Psychologists advise not to bypass people, but as often as possible to try to keep the conversation going.

Another problem in communication can be high self-esteem. The superiority complex is manifested in a biased attitude towards other people. A person feels better than others and believes that talking to them can be disrespectful and condescending. Of course, such an attitude does not suit anyone, and they will most likely try to avoid contacts with such a person. But if a person himself understands the cause of difficulties in communication, then self-control and a loyal attitude towards society will help to cope with them. When talking, you can try to find positive features in the interlocutor, thanks to which the conversation will be more comfortable for both parties.

Often, it happens that a person is simply afraid to make contact with anyone. For example, not finding the right words, seeming stupid or saying something wrong. There is a fear of not being accepted and condemned. Perhaps the person lacks communication skills or an insufficient vocabulary. The way out of this situation is practice. You can practice in front of a mirror, as if talking to an imaginary friend. Try to conduct correspondence on the Internet, because without being able to look at the interlocutor, it is much easier to express your thoughts. Of course, you need to read more and develop vocabulary in order to select words for any situation. It is important to be yourself and not be afraid of what others think. Each person perceives everything differently, and there are those who can help to overcome this barrier.

The difficulty lies in the fact that often the causes of communication difficulties are not recognized by people. This is especially true for psychological barriers. If communicative barriers are perceived immediately and to eliminate them it is often enough to clarify the meaning of what was said, reformulate sentences and work on your speech, then psychological difficulties are the result of subconscious attitudes. They are hard to control.

The following communication rules will help minimize the likelihood of barriers:

  • Watch your appearance and manners of communication, they must correspond to the situation. Try to perceive the interlocutor objectively and without judgment.

Conclusion

In order to interact with a person correctly, you need to know as much as possible about him, and act in accordance with his program of action, and not your own. We should humbly accept the fact that other people, even those who, due to circumstances, are our relatives, are in fact completely different, think, feel and act differently from us. True intimacy becomes possible only after this understanding has been achieved and put into practice.

It's not hard to start talking to people. Live communication really brings great pleasure and helps to achieve your goals.