Barriers of Communication

Offering generalized and oversimplified beliefs about groups of people that are based on experiences too limited to be valid.

Example:

“Two-year-olds are brats.”

Example:

“Women are complainers.”

Example:

“Men don’t cry.”

Example:

“Most people don’t have any pain after this type of surgery.”

Similar to judgmental responses, agreeing and disagreeing imply that the client is either right or wrong and that the nurse is in a position to judge this.

These responses deter clients from thinking through their position and may cause a client to become defensive.

These responses categorize clients and negate their uniqueness as individuals.

Example:

Client: “I don’t think Dr. Broad is a very good doctor. He doesn’t seem interested in his clients.”

Nurse: “Dr. Broad is head of the department of surgery and is an excellent surgeon.”

Attempting to protect an individual or healthcare services from negative comments.