Quest Journals Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science Volume 10 ~ Issue 4 (2022) pp: 49-54 ISSN(Online):2321-9467 www.questjournals.org *Corresponding Author: Ms Shilpi Agarwal 49 | Page Research Paper Psychological Costs and Benefits of Using Silent Treatment 1* Ms. Shilpi Agarwal and 2* Dr. Nidhi Prakash 1* Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi- India. 2* Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi- India Corresponding Author: Ms Shilpi Agarwal ABSTRACT: People use silent treatment across different relationships for various reasons and purposes like timeout, punishment, manipulation, defense, and for rejection. Research on silent treatment has been extensive, however, they have focussed on its negative effects on the target (Williams, 2009; Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Williams, 2003), leaving the source with the image of perpetrator of crime. To develop a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of silent treatment, the present study attempted to explore silent treatment and its effects from the perspective of the source in relational dyads. To meet these objectives, 15 female participants of age ranging from 20- 27 years were interviewed regarding their experience of using silent treatment with others. Recurrent emerging themes and patterns in the data were identified using thematic analysis and the results were discussed in light of both positive and negative experiences of the sources. Implications of the present study and future directions are also proposed. KEYWORDS: silent treatment, source, target, relational dyad, psychological costs and benefits Received 04 Apr, 2022; Revised 16 Apr, 2022; Accepted 18 Apr, 2022 © The author(s) 2022. Published with open access at www.questjournals.org I. INTRODUCTION Silent treatment refers to a range of behaviors which are purported to avoid verbal communication and ignore the other person. It is a very common phenomenon and researches have shown that about 75 percent of Americans have been at the receiving end of silent treatment, while 67 percent gave silent treatment to their loved ones (Faulkner, Williams, Sherman, & Williams, 1997). It is used in a variety of contexts, such as, within families, classrooms, organizations, military institutions, even political scenarios, and cultures throughout the world, for example, the Amish (traditionalist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German Anabaptist origins) practice Meidung where the perpetrator is ostracised from the society and neither friends nor family is allowed to keep contact with him/her (Gruter, 1986). Similarly, the Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory of Australia practice tribal taboo, where family and other community members withdraw their affection and support from the victim (Cannon, 1942). Moreover, silent treatment is not only restricted to humans but even dogs are reported to use it to show their sadness or anger with their owners It is so widespread that even pet animals are reported to use it show their sadness or anger with their owners (Rotholtz, n.d.; Harding, 2018) Given its ubiquity, extensive researches have been done on the nature, motives, reasons, factors mediating silent treatment, and the effect of silent treatment on the target person. However, what misses largely from the research literature is the effect of silent treatment on the source. Keeping in view the gaps in available literature, the current paper focusses on the psychological experience of the source of silent treatment. Since humans are social animals, they have a natural tendency to interact with others and reciprocate to conversations, therefore, silent treatment as a form of stopping all conversations can be a troubling experience for the source and ego-depleting too (Ciarocco, Sommer & Baumiester, 2001). Despite its debilitating effect, people are seen to use silent treatment which suggests that it must be reinforcing for them. Thus, it can be inferred that silent treatment may yield both troubling and rewarding experiences for the source. The present paper discusses the negative and positive consequences, i.e., the psychological costs and benefits of using silent treatment for the source. What is Silent Treatment? Despite its widespread existence, there is a lack of a clear definition of the term silent treatment. Researches have explained silent treatment as synonymous to or as a part of a larger phenomenon. Most often, it