Five Behaviors that Predict Failure in a Relationship
Some behaviors can actually predict failure in a relationship. In fact, some couples are destined to end badly from the first minute of their relationship.
This is due to certain patterns that, in addition to being toxic, are often repeated in subsequent relationships. It’s important, therefore, to put a stop to them and reflect on them.
A healthy relationship is much happier, longer-lasting, and productive than one marked by negativity and demands. Let’s look at what behaviors should be avoided in these cases.
Behaviors that predict failure in a relationship
1. Criticizing your partner
One of the first behaviors that can help predict failure in a relationship is when we criticize our partner constantly or for absurd things. For example, for how they look, drive, the clothes they wear, how they talk, and even how they feel.
These critics have a goal: to change the other person. Stripping them of their essence and personality. In order to have a healthy and solid relationship, partners must accept each other completely for who they are. If you don’t like the way they are, you have two options: accept it or leave them.
However, the option of criticizing them in order to change their way of being isn’t just unproductive, but also detracts energy and generates discomfort.
2. Predict failure in a relationship: the other person insults you
Does your partner make fun of you? On occasion, do they humiliate you? If this is how you feel but you don’t make it known to them, you’re not doing anything to solve the problem.
On occasion, our partner has a way of making us feel hurt but we deal with it in the name of love. The most probable reason is that we are suffering from emotional dependence. Because of that, we don’t know how to say “I’m not going to tolerate this; I’m leaving.”
It’s important that you keep in mind that you have to have respect in a relationship. If not, this will be, without a doubt, another one of the behaviors that will predict your relationship’s failure. And for this, good communication is also very important.
3. It’s always the other person’s fault
Among all of the behaviors that predict the failure of a relationship, this is one of the clearest. It’s when the blame is always put on someone else, meaning the person never takes responsibility.
There’s usually more than one implication in any argument between the two people in a relationship. Today it may be your partner who is at fault, but tomorrow it may be you. It’s important to try to be mature and accept when we’ve done wrong.
If you always blame your significant other, you won’t learn from your mistakes, so conflict situations will be repeated more easily. Here, communication as a couple is also fundamental to solve this problem.
4. Predict failure in a relationship: silence and indifference
There’s a type of attitude that’s pretty toxic and its main intent is to manipulate another: the silent treatment and/or indifference.
Even if there are no blows or insults, this type of behavior hurts the other. In addition to impeding the search for solutions to the causes of anger, they’re selfish and show very little maturity.
5. Your partner forces and demands things
This has a lot to do with the unconditional acceptance that we were talking about at the beginning. Forcing and demanding certain things from our partner is one of the behaviors that predict relationship failure.
We can’t force and demand anything from our partner. They are a free person who we need to respect without making any attempt to manipulate them at our whim.
In the same way, the other person should act in the same way. If a relationship makes us feel overwhelmed and we realize that we have stopped doing things we like just to please, maybe that person is not for you.
Get away from toxic relationships, you deserve better
Experiencing this type of behavior is not a good thing. Detecting them in time is very important to reflect on the relationship you have or to change your attitudes towards your partner.
If you consider it’s just something specific and that you do have a healthy relationship, the best thing to do is to talk to your partner about what’s happening. So, if they love you and it’s a specific behavior, they’ll change. If not, you already know that you must prioritize your mental health before anything else.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Hendrick, S. S., & Hendrick, C. (2006). Measuring respect in close relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407506070471
- Frei, J. R., & Shaver, P. R. (2002). Respect in close relationships: Prototype definition, self-report assessment, and initial correlates. Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00008