Are silent treatments effective or damaging?

I do not see how one single thing is accomplished by the “silent treatment.” Since the goal in a relationship should be to resolve conflict not punish the other party, it seems immature at best.

Why not instead air your grievance so the other party can respond?

Sometimes its helpful to let emotions settle before trying to solve problems; it can often mean the difference between a fight and a discussion. But bottling up for long periods of time isn’t healthy for anyone involved, or the realationship.

I love silence, only because I can’t stand loud noises….I won’t even blowdry my hair because I hate the sound…..but that’s a diffent subject so anyways…
I think it depends on what the fight was about, if it was petty crap then sometimes just not talking for a few hours untill you forget why your mad, can be a good thing. If its something more serious then then the silent treatment would probably make the matter worse.

Sometimes it can only be the silent treatment—things get too tense or angry. But I think the sooner that can be defused the better. A few hours makes the point, and reduces the anger. After that, conversation about the problem is essential. I assume you are talking about a couple living together.

Ultimately ineffective.
Initially it serves the same purpose as storming out and slamming the door, a quick temporary resolution to conflict.
Dragging it out for weeks on end requires a level of spite that most people would find unsustainable. Bad ju-ju. Seek help.

Silent treatment is the immature way to deal with issues. I think it is ok to take a few hours or a day or so to cool down, but eventually it is much better to talk things through, like an adult.