In her work “Sex, Lies, and Conversation,” Deborah Tannen discusses the difficulties of conversation between a married man and a woman. Her point of view, supported by evidence, research results, interviews, and other researchers’ studies, is shown. The author explains the different relations of men and women to “small talks,” conversations at home, and in huge groups of people based on their childhood experience, social environment, and communicational habits. Therefore, different criteria that affect the interactions between people of different genders are depicted, explained, and proven by many case studies and life situations.
Deborah Tannen pays attention to the topic of marriage breaks that happen because of the lack of communication felt by women. For example, she states that for women, the social interaction between the husband and the wife is a kind of intimacy as they share their thoughts, feelings, and problems. However, for men, the hierarchical structure is important. Therefore, they try to win leading positions by being talkative in public but silent and tranquil at home. Such difference is analyzed by the author according to various parameters such as childhood, ways of concentration, interest in discussed topics, and public attention. In her work, Deborah Tannen shows the reader various conversation topics discussed by boys and girls in different age groups and the various ways of spending time and behaving in a group of friends. Therefore, the reader gets the chance to estimate the variety of social feedback given by both men and women and analyze behavioral patterns that caused such differences between the necessity and intensity of interactions between genders. Various ways of conversation management can help people adjust to the conversation manner of their beloved ones to keep stable relations and avoid problems based on misunderstandings, and they are paid attention to as well.