Marriage & Wedding Information brough toy ou by christian dating sites

Control Issues That Cause Marriage Problems


Have you ever been irritated because your spouse does things differently than you do? Do you get upset if he or she has different opinions and makes different choices than you would? If so, you have bumped up against some of your own personal control issues and triggers in your marriage. Here are three important points to consider:

1. Fear underlies control issues.

Control issues cause problems in many marriages. The feelings you experience at those times can be very intense and may include rage at the other person. Most people feel more secure when others around them mirror their opinions, beliefs, and choices. Your safety needs and fears contribute to your wanting others to be just like you. The old adage, "There is safety in numbers," refers to this primitive fear of standing alone.

Also, many people feel more in control when they can predict the behavior of others and when others meet their expectations. Then they don't have to experience the discomfort of growing, changing, or stretching themselves. Instead, they can pretend that their world is logical, orderly, predictable, and safe.

2. Thinking your spouse should be just like you harms your marriage.

Your control issues are also triggered by viewing your spouse as an extension of yourself. This perception can result in trying to dictate which clothes your spouse wears, how she wears her hair, who she is friends with, what political views she holds, and what she can or cannot do. While your spouse may initially make some changes trying to keep the peace, you are creating a parent-child dynamic in your relationship that will eventually foster rebellion and resentment.

3. Using insults and name calling are attempts to regain control.

While nothing sinister is involved in many control issues in relationships, pathological behavior can be triggered in some instances. For example, a partner who is angry that the spouse did not follow his dictates could become physically and emotionally abusive. The partner may think he has the right to "punish" the other person. Name calling and derogatory put-downs, such as "What a stupid thing to do," are often used to re-establish control over the other person.

It's easy to point a finger at your spouse and to state that he or she needs to change. It's hard to face your own unresolved issues head-on and take responsibility for how you need to change. As you become more aware of control issues in your marriage, the starting place for change is always with yourself and your response to what is happening.

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says "I don't love you anymore!" This is available as an e-book at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com ,where you can also sign up for the free Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine. Nancy can be contacted at Nancy@KeepYourMarriage.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Going to beat 70
Calgary Herald,  Canada - Jan 8, 2009
This holiday season, while most of us were enjoying our new gifts, one Calgary couple was celebrating a gift 70 years in the making. ...


Examiner.com

Same-Sex Marriage: Wedding Priestess Believes. But Washington Post ...
Examiner.com - Dec 18, 2008
by Ann Keeler Evans, Philadelphia Marriage Examiner "Oh," says WP, pulling her hair. Reading the Washington Post today, I came across an editorial proposing ...


Cameroon: STV's Consty Ties Nuptial Knot
AllAfrica.com, Washington - Jan 5, 2009
The year 2008 would have rounded off without any major romantic event until STV's rising star, Constantain Mbom took the stage with Mercy Ngahene Assama in ...


Downtown Express

NYC aims to compete with Vegas weddings
USA Today - Jan 7, 2009
By Mary Altaffer, AP NEW YORK (AP) — Watch out, Las Vegas: New York City wants to become the new No. 1 place to tie the knot. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ...
Lower Manhattan Seeks To Become Wedding Capital Of US With Upgrade ... Gant Daily
all 254 news articles


Austrian Marriage Traditions
PWO, France - Jan 6, 2009
Australia a land with the soaring snow topped mountains, deep forests, alpine meadows and fairy tale castles is a paradise for the classic weddings. ...


Wedding woe for woman who has never existed
Hucknall Today, UK - Dec 31, 2008
By Rhys Thomas THE AMAZING 85-year-old woman, exposed by the Dispatch as someone who has never officially existed, has had to postpone her wedding. ...


Proud to be from Massachusetts
Bay Windows, MA - Dec 23, 2008
by Melody Howard Ritt More than 20 years of married life in a small town south of Boston did nothing to prepare my husband, Jay, and me for the reality of ...


A Cheap Wedding in Las Vegas
PWO, France - Dec 14, 2008
There are some costs that you can't avoid and that is your marriage license!You will need this to get married anywhere and is easy to obtain. ...


Gays protest governor’s wedding
Queensland Pride, Australia - Dec 14, 2008
Gays and lesbians and their allies have protested the marriage of Florida Governor Charlie Crist who supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage ...


Pallard retires as marriage commissioner
BCLocalNews, Canada - Dec 16, 2008
By Carrie White - Golden Star Pallard has decided that it is time to step away from her beloved job as a marriage commissioner for the Golden area. ...

Marriage-Wedding - Google News

home | site map
© 2006