Barriers to Communication

A physical barrier is when a person cannot access the care they want or need because of a physical problem like a walking difficulty or a wheelchair access. Physical barriers include distance, health, and dialect.

Perceptual barriers are those experiences that cause a distortion of the communication. For example, if the receiver of the communication is untrusting because of past experiences then he may form an opinion of what is being communicated without effectively listening. Another example of perceptual communication is when the sender of the communication has low self-esteem and therefore does not convey his message with conviction. In this case, the strong words will not convince the listener because the perception of the communicator is that he does not believe in the message.

Emotional barriers are imaginary walls preventing someone from achieving a goal, because of something else happened which had an emotional effect on you.

For example you may not want to apply for a new job because you promise somebody you wouldnt work for that company, but you really wants the job. You would have to overcome the emotional barrier in order to be able to apply.

Cultural barrier: A barrier is something that comes between two people so they cannot reach each other, like a wall.

A culture is a population's identity.

A cultural barrier is a wall between two people because of identity differences.

Language barriers: barrier to communication resulting from speaking different languages

Gender barriers to communication arise because men and women have a different way of communication and each feels uncomfortable while talking to the other because of the basic differences in communication styles.