Circumscribing

If one or both of you respond to problematic differences by ignoring them and spending less time talking, you enter the circumscribing stage. You actively begin to restrict the quantity and quality of information you exchange with your partner. Instead of sharing information, you create “safe zones” in which you discuss only topics that won’t provoke conflict. For example, saying, “Let’s not talk about that anymore.”

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CATHY © 1996 Cathy Guisewite. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK. All rights reserved.