Finding Healthy Compromises

The emotional component of relationships often throws off even the most intelligent people, so being able to find healthy compromises in a partnership can be difficult. If one person wants to spend more time advancing their career, they might use an emotional lever to get their partner to agree to spending more time alone. For those who want to be able to still go out and have fun with their friends, guilt over being made to accompany a partner to a family outing might work. All of these ploys will work several times over a few months or years, but they can eventually sour the relationship.

Raising a family is often important to couples, but one person has traditionally given up their career to stay home. It might seem like a normal way of life, but changing goals and outlooks have turned it into a minefield of inequality for some couples. While the mother has the milk, she might be persuaded to give up her career for child rearing. It could leave her feeling depressed, and her spouse could decide she is no longer attractive.

There are times when men stay home with the children, but it can become an issue between the couple. Traditional roles are still expected in many areas of life, and a woman who misses a recital or school program is often loaded down with guilt by family and friends. If her partner then starts in on her, she might rebel against this final pressure.

There are many ways emotions play a role in partnerships, and they are the glue that holds a couple together. When they are abused to satisfy an immediate need, it can damage the relationship. For those who use it to rationalize making their partner do the work, it can become a means to ending the relationship.