IMO/IME most people expect others to be mind readers.
Most people simply assume, take for granted, that the way they communicate is clear, direct, honest, understood, obvious, and rational.
That their associations are universal.


You ever hear a guy say "omg! she's so clingy! omg! she's psycho!"
That's no different than what you are describing here.

Everyone has expectations.
They just take them for granted.


That's part of the problem.
Expecting them to be directors.

What you describe is mostly a consequence of 1 person that doesn't want to learn to communicate, and 1 person who only wants to be what the other wants rather than a consistent and honest person.

So, one person is unclear to the other, and the other keeps throwing misleading and unclear feedback in return, which simply escalates and exacerbates the problem until it blows up.

Really? Care to fill in the rest of this romantic story?

The bit about injunction orders was tongue in cheek.

The problem with saying that you should already know what to do is that women aren't all the same and what one wants or expects you to do may not be what another one would want. You can't just say that you should just be "good" or "decent" because that's hopelessly vague and a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, they will still dump you on the grounds that you don't know how to treat them, as if they are all the same and that you should know that by now.

Where did it come from; this idea that all women are basically the same and want the same things? It sounds a bit sexist to me.