ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Paul Watzlawick

Okay kiddo, let's talk about a smart man named Paul Watzlawick. He was really smart about how people talk and communicate with each other.

You know how sometimes, when you talk to someone, they don't understand what you're saying? That's because communication isn't always easy. Paul Watzlawick studied how people understand each other and how they misunderstand each other too.

He talked about something called "communication patterns." It's like a dance between two people. One person says something, and the other person responds. This goes back and forth until they understand each other.

But sometimes, people have different ideas about what things mean. For example, if you say "I'm fine," but you're really sad or upset, the other person might not understand that. They might think you're really fine!

Paul Watzlawick also talked about how communication can change depending on who you're talking to. For example, you might talk differently to your mom or dad than you would to your friends. That's because we have different ways of communicating with different people.

So, Paul Watzlawick helped us understand how important communication is in our everyday lives. And how we can learn to communicate better with each other, so we can all understand each other better too.