Although you think your relationship is solid, there may be issues you are unaware of. When you feel happy with the way your relationship is going, little issues that surface are easy to ignore. If you ignore these little issues, they can mushroom into major problems in the future.
You should not ignore these issues because they will keep you from building a lifelong relationship. Fix them when they surface. Ongoing arguments, unhappiness, and even affairs are major signs of a doomed relationship. These major signs started as little issues that weren’t solved when they surfaced. It is these hidden signs that will turn into bigger problems.
Some of the signs of a failing relationship are outlined below. If you are experiencing any of them and think your relationship is worth saving, then correct them immediately.
Here are 7 hidden signs of a failing relationship, according to psychology:
1. Inattention
Do you take your significant other seriously? Do you roll your eyes at their suggestions? Do you find yourself ignoring them when they are saying something to you?
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Your significant other may notice this and may even think it is funny. This type of behavior towards them is evidence that you aren’t taking them seriously. This may not be a problem if it happens rarely but if you notice that every time your partner says something you think “whatever,” you should try to correct it.
2. Control
Control and power plays can be hard to recognize when the player is trying to be subtle. When you look at your relationship, do you think one has more power than the other? To be happy there needs to be equality in the relationship. You need to speak up if you feel you are not offered equality or are being dominated by your partner.
3. No respect
Respect is critical in your relationship if you want it to last, as it is relevant for intimacy and relationship satisfaction and was found by research to be positively correlated with self-disclosure, passion, and altruism. If you don’t respect one another, each of you will stop trying. In almost all circumstances one of you will become infatuated with someone else who shows the respect that is lacking in your relationship.
4. Insulting each other
Never use insults to win a disagreement or to try to get even. It is not cool to insult your partner in front of others. Never demean or ridicule your significant other especially when family or friends are around. Even if you do so for fun, it will always hurt your partner.
Do you like to talk about your partner’s shortcomings to others? This type of behavior just reinforces the thought that your mate is just not good enough. When this occurs your days are numbered with the other person.
5. Refraining from resolving conflicts
You may believe it is better to ignore differences instead of arguing about them. You should never avoid talking about things that are bothering you. If you find yourself seething over some of your partner’s habits and still not saying anything, then your relationship will be damaged. These little frustrations will build to the point you may start distancing yourself from your partner and they won’t understand why.
6. Taking one another for granted
We all seem to take each other for granted at one time or another. Try to look at the situation through your partner’s eyes and ask if it would make you feel good or not. It will help you determine if your actions are annoying or if you are overbearing. Taking your partner for granted will kill your relationship, a study from the University of Michigan says.
7. Giving each other the silent treatment
Silence is golden except in relationships. Instead, communication in relationships is golden. Do you find that you hardly talk to one another after work? Do you plop yourself in front of the television or binge-watch Netflix instead of communicating? You may think of it as a good way to relax after a hard day at work, but a lack of communication will push you further apart. At some point, you will have nothing to share.
Frank Freund Sr. has been writing on a freelance basis for several years.