An enabler is a person who makes it easier for a person with self-destructive behavior, such as addiction, to continue along their destructive path. An enabler forms a co-dependent bond with the addict, in which the addict relies on the enabler to excuse their behavior while the enabler depends on the addict to need them. […]

A guilt trip is a type of verbal or nonverbal communication in which one person tries to induce guilty feelings in another to control his or her behavior. Defined like this, it becomes clear that the guilt trip is a technique of psychological manipulation and coercion, though we rarely think of them in such stark

A 2011 study found that “falling out of love” is the most commonly cited reason to seek a divorce in lieu of trying to fix marriage problems for British couples. This has surpassed having an affair, which now seems something easier to recover from. Falling out of love, being the number one cause of divorce

Laura Doyle runs a radio show in which she gives out an award for the worst relationship advice of the week every Sunday. She writes that there are plenty of conventional-sounding pieces of bad advice to choose from, which she picks not only to debunk, occasionally from personal experience, but also to give insight into

Infidelity clauses seem to be becoming more and more popular for celebrities, but they may not seem quite as important for the average couple as they begin their marriage experience. This article suggests that an infidelity clause may be just as important to the average marriage as it is to high profile unions, providing everyone

Thea and Duane Harvey, both relationship therapists, often hear complaints about sex. Sex can be a source of frustration for many people because early injuries in our lives can often be sexual and shaming, which is why it is important to build a mutually satisfying sexual relationship. It should be about less pain, more pleasure,

Wendy Strgar learned about weeds before gardens. With her first garden, she inadvertently planted weeds that would overrun the garden she was trying to create until “gardening” and “weeding” became synonymous words for all practical purposes. Learning gardening, she learned that removing weeds was an important part of creating the garden that she wanted. As

The love paradox is created from two claims. The first is that a great percentage of intimate relationships are based on love. The second claim is that a great percentage of intimate relationships involve romantic compromise. If we consider a romantic compromise something contradictory to love, we get a love paradox. Aaron Ben-Zeev attempts to

Many couples enter couples therapy struggling with the complaint that married life just isn’t what they expected. This can often be a product of fantasies about marriage, which can make even a good relationship seem disappointing when it doesn’t match up. As an example, the author writes about one couple client who entered couples therapy

Among the myriad differences between men and women that can make a marriage challenging, is the very difference in perspective between husbands and wives on marriage itself. Author Mark Gungor claims that women tend to view marriage as something dynamic, whereas men look at marriage as a safety zone, where they can relax and recuperate.