MESSAGES THAT HURT

Abstract

Although most of us have used the old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones," 1 few who study communication would argue that the impact of words on people and relationships is less than that of physical objectswhether those objects be sticks, stones, bats, or fists. Words not only "do" things when uttered (Austin, 1975), but they have the ability to hurt or harm in every bit as real a way as physical objects. A few ill-spoken words (e.g., "You're worthless," "You'll never amount to anything," "I don't love you anymore") can strongly affect individuals, interactions, and relationships.

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