Relationships Tips

Relationship Advice: Who Are You and What Have You Done with My Spouse?


"When we marry, we don't marry one person, we marry three. The person we think they are, the person they really are and the person they will become as a result of marrying us."

This quote has much to say about the process of intimacy and marriage.

The person we think they are

When we're getting to know someone and becoming increasingly familiar, we tend to try to look and behave our best. Over time, especially after marriage, we seem to relax the rules a little more.

Many people in premarital counseling wonder, at some level, "Who is this person really? What will they be like later?"

As Bruce Springsteen put it in the song "Brilliant Disguise:"

"Now tell me what I see,
When I look in your eyes.
Is that you, baby,
Or just a brilliant disguise"

The person they really are

Things are different after marriage.

Even people who have lived together for years before marriage tend to report everything simply "feeling different" after marriage.

What happens?

Perhaps it has to do with the models for marriage, intimacy and closeness we had growing up.

We all bring our own issues, both resolved and unresolved, to all of our relationships, most particularly marriage.

When quarreling with your partner, do you catch yourself saying things you heard your parents say? Do you ever catch yourself saying things even you don't believe, just to win the argument? These are all signs that old and unresolved issues are popping up.

When we marry someone, we simply marry the unresolved issues as well. For better or for worse, it's a package deal.

The person they will become

This is the part of the quote that seems to impact most of the people in the seminars I do.

Most of us have thought only about the effect our partner is having on us.

But what about the influence we are having on our partner?

Many quarreling couples are very quick to place blame. ``If only you would do X, then I wouldn't have to do Y.''

In most cases, people tend to be caught in a loop or cycle that is damaging not only to each other, but to the relationship as well. In the cycle, it's often difficult to tell exactly where it got started, but not that it has taken on a life of its own and is damaging to all involved.

Such are the cycles of marital conflict. Each person makes their contributions, and each person responds emotionally to the other person's contributions, and we're off to the races.

If you find yourself caught up in one of these cycles, how do you get out? Here's a brief list of things to consider and actions to take:

What kind of person are you helping you spouse to become?

What are your contributions to the cycle?

One couple I worked with described their quarreling cycles as if each has a sword and shield with which to defend themselves and wound each other. So they went to the toy store, bought two sets of play sword and shields and stuck them in the closet. Whenever a disagreement would begin to escalate, one of them would run to the closet and get the sword and shield. They would then break into laughter, the cycle was changed, and they were able to work things out in a different manner.

If the previous ideas don't prove useful, seek professional assistance.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.


MORE RESOURCES:

Reflections: Relationships are gifts in life
GoErie.com
Life is relationship! It is impossible to be alive and not be in relationship. You are in relationship with everything around you. At this very moment, you are in relationship with the world around you through the breath you take, through the sights ...



Relationships, communication theme of Friday's Warner Robins council retreat
Macon Telegraph (blog)
After ending at 7 pm Friday, the retreat will continue Saturday from 8 am to 3:30 pm OV Brantley, a former attorney for Fulton County governmental bodies, told council members their internal relationships are important to strong operations and images.

and more »


CBC.ca

Depression Linked To Adolescent Bullying
Medical News Today
"Often the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression. We found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships. We examined the issue from both directions but found no evidence to suggest that peer relationships ...
Depressed Adolescents More Likely to be BulliedPsychCentral.com
Depressed adolescents likelier to be bulliedTimes of India
Depressed adolescents more likely to be targets of bullying: StudyHealthJockey.com
U.S. News & World Report -Expatriate Healthcare
all 46 news articles »


Cara Dorris '15: The fiction of relationship?
The Brown Daily Herald
Most people will tell you that there are two types of relationships at Brown: rigid, Facebook-official romances and hurried, efficient and occasionally chronic hookups. Though there are exceptions, most of us brag that we're too busy, even too selfish ...

and more »


PsychCentral.com

Optimal conversation lowers stress in relationships
Times of India
Young couples who easily engage in rewarding conversations with their partners, experience less relationship stress and higher satisfaction, say researchers. According to research from Kansas State University, young adults who have optimal conversation ...
Going With the Flow of Talk Brings Couples CloserPsychCentral.com

all 12 news articles »


Healthy relationship examples crucial for youth, experts say
Maxwell Gunter Dispatch
In the race to stop domestic violence, educating children before they date can provide the awareness for healthy relationships when they become adults. In the crucial years before youth start dating, parents and peers impact children's perceptions of ...

and more »


Relationships Art Exhibit at the SCAHC Gallery in Sussex
NorthJersey.com (press release)
In the Relationships Art Exhibit, the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council is asking artists to explore, well, relationships—any relationship. And what seems to be a traditional subject for art can prove to have numerous possibilities when viewed ...

and more »


Jamie Kennedy Talks Relationships, Valentine's Day Plans and Playing 'Cupid ...
Hollywood Reporter
As for his research of the role, the actor joked, "I went to Zales," before admitting, "I think I've been in enough relationships that that was my research." Not that he claims to know what he's doing. "Being in all of my relationships, I'm even more ...

and more »


HipHopDX

The Dead End Theory: 15 Rapper Relationships That Ended In Break-Up
HipHopDX
by DX Staff From Eminem and Mariah Carey's bittersweet triste to Darlene's immortal gangsterism, and the Kelis and Nas shakedown, HipHopDX looks back at some high-profile Rap relationships. While Love and Hip Hop is currently a hit reality show, ...

and more »


At NRC Hearing, Signs Of Improving Relationships
Fox Business
However, it offered several hints that personal relationships on the five-member commission may be improving less than two months after they boiled over at a pair of congressional hearings. The tensions have raised questions about the nuclear safety ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2010