My husband is a literalist. If we have had a discussion about something and we disagree, he can remember exactly the words that he said and the words that I said. I am an empath/emoter. I remember the feelings and attitudes he and I each felt, even if they weren't directly expressed; I do not remember the literal words. This, in turn, has led to some further disagreement. He will deny that he said anything negative - and he is probably absolutely correct. But, since he is not empathetic to the same degree, he feels it is unfair to feel bad about, or even bring up, the attitudes and feelings that he did NOT express, even though he doesn't deny feeling them. Here we are at an impasse.
A partial solution to this is to make explicit the attitudes and feelings being expressed at the time of the initial disagreement. This means that I can later bring them into the conversation without his denial. It does, however, make him uncomfortable. He would prefer to keep his feelings and attitudes to himself. Another impasse.
It is a good thing we mostly agree on things.
