A lot of failures to communicate effectively come from faulty epistemic beliefs surrounding interpersonal relationships and friendships. If I believe for instance that failing in a small sense dooms my relationship with a fellow human being, I’m going to be much more guarded, ultimately hurting my ability to befriend them.
To that end, I think challenging the cognitive distortions that people hold about the world is key to helping them befriend others, and become more well-adjusted.
Interestingly, I don’t think all social skill misperceptions are maladaptive. I think sometimes they can help people function together more seamlessly. For instance, I don’t think that ‘bloodline’ implies strong relationship nearly as much as it’s held up, but think it’s a good heuristic for keeping people connected and together.
Isadore Johnson's Website 