The Issue of Coercive Communication in Communication

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Have you ever been subjected to coercive communication or control? meaning that you were persuaded by someone in authority, which can be a parent or a boss, with the use of violence or threats, thus one frequently communicating to another with threats and violence. Now, what is coercive communication, you may wonder? Coercive communication is the act of communicating with persuasion by the use of force, violence, and threats (Bhasin, 2022), in which, in most cases, individuals abuse their authority and verbally speak to individuals with threats, which can be seen as victimization. Given that communication can be both verbal and non-verbal, coercive communication is mostly verbal, and there are types, namely (Comma & Comma, 2022):

1   Extortion

2.      Blackmail

3.      Salary Cuts

4.      Suspension

5.      Termination

Why is Coercive Communication an Ethical Issue in Communication?  

Given that ethics is the term that states knowing good from evil, coercive communication is an ethical issue because it is not only treating people unequally, but with this ethical issue, it is evident where an individual is abusing their power or authority to control an individual of a lower standard, which is not only against ethics but is seen as immoral. In today’s society when individuals are subjected to coercive communication they see this as normal because it is accepted for with using coercive communication this increases productivity and effectiveness as well as coercive communication can generate fear and insecurity (Cooks-Campbell, 2022), as it relates to the ethical theories the deontological theory can be applied to this ethical issue as with communicating coercively this is not treating individuals equally because the use of threat and violence are introduced which in many instances can let persons be fearful and tend to work hard to avoid being subjected to coercive communication. Thus, communicating with coercive language is viewed as an ethical issue because this is not communicating ethically because violence and threats are introduced.

To help individuals avoid using coercive language these steps should be practiced:

1.      Be mindful of the words you use.

2.      Everyone is equal, thus do not be controlling over other individuals.

3.      Do not use violent or threatening words.

In Closing, there is a video that will give a detailed explanation of coercive communication and the many concepts associated with this ethical issue. 

video by: finding yourself SATX life coaching-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORabMC54ocs&t=77s

References

Bhasin, H. (2022, July 18). Coercive Power – Definition, Characteristics and Types. Marketing91. https://www.marketing91.com/coercive-power/

Comma, F. L., & Comma, F. L. (2022, July 20). Six Forms of Unethical Communication. Fancy Comma, LLC. https://fancycomma.com/2021/12/18/unethical-communication/

Cooks-Campbell, A. (2022, August 30). Coercive power at work: Examples, implications, and more. https://www.betterup.com/blog/coercive-power