I would use “Do you prefer to explain everything you want to your partner explicitly, or do you prefer that they infer some of your desires from your implicit suggestions?” as well as “Is it OK to turn down an explicit request by your partner if you’re capable of fulfilling it but you don’t want to?”
I might also use the reversed versions: “Do you prefer to have everything explained to you explicitly, or do you prefer some things be left for you to infer from context?” and “Is it OK for your partner to turn down your explicit request if they’re capable of fulfilling it but don’t want to?”
(nods) That’s why I mentioned them; I think that kind of assymetry is common for a lot of people, especially those who were raised in a high-context (aka “Guess”) culture but then migrated to a low-context (aka “Ask”) culture.
I would use “Do you prefer to explain everything you want to your partner explicitly, or do you prefer that they infer some of your desires from your implicit suggestions?” as well as “Is it OK to turn down an explicit request by your partner if you’re capable of fulfilling it but you don’t want to?”
I might also use the reversed versions: “Do you prefer to have everything explained to you explicitly, or do you prefer some things be left for you to infer from context?” and “Is it OK for your partner to turn down your explicit request if they’re capable of fulfilling it but don’t want to?”
I think you might need both variants because if I were to answer such questions, the response would not necessarily be symmetrical;
Is it OK to turn down an explicit request by your partner if you’re capable of fulfilling it but you don’t want to? - Not at all
Is it OK for your partner to turn down your explicit request if they’re capable of fulfilling it but don’t want to? - Of course
(assuming reasonable requests)
Postel Culture FTW! ;-)
(nods) That’s why I mentioned them; I think that kind of assymetry is common for a lot of people, especially those who were raised in a high-context (aka “Guess”) culture but then migrated to a low-context (aka “Ask”) culture.