Week of September 24-30 - Question 1

The are six forms of nonlistening are pseudolistening, monopolizing, selective listening, defensive listening, ambushing, and literal listening. Pseudolistening is when a person pretends to listen, but in reality their thoughts are drifting elsewhere. Monopolizing is when a person constantly shifts the conversation toward themselves rather than listening to the person who is talking. Selective listening is listening to only particular parts of of a conversation, usually triggered by key words. Defensive listening is when a person only finds criticism and hostility in a conversation, even when it’s non-aggressive. Ambushing is when a person listens carefully to the speaker in order to attack them, usually without having the desire to understand them (this can be seen in debates). The final form of nonlistening is literal listening. Literal listening is when the person literally hears what is being said, but avoids the relationship level of meaning. As stated in my previous post, I often find that I pseudolisten. However, another form of nonlistening that I participate in is selective listening. An example of this can be seen in my previous relationship. We were complete opposites in almost every way and sometimes I just wasn’t interested in what he had to say. Of course I listened, but I would find myself focusing only on certain parts of the conversation. I plan on fixing my selective listening by trying to engage in conversations that interest me, and also by keeping in mind that the information could be useful to remember in the future.