[Editor's note: Called the relationship jeopardy hypothesis, it supposes that men and women have the same evolved capacity to learn to distinguish
threats to the relationship from nonthreats.]
Threats to your relationship security, such as a perceived breach of trust, feelings of betrayal, frequent arguments, or sensing a disconnection can also lead to a serious low — and these issues, in particular, can reduce the desire to be intimate with your significant other.
It is possible that you might feel jealous — jealousy is broadly defined as the response to a real or
imagined threat to a relationship, whereas envy is the desire for another's possessions - after all, seeing your partner with an attractive rival is one of the main triggers of jealousy (see previous post about Facebook and jealousy here).
The ultimate purpose of today's post is to allow the two of you to strengthen your bond by applying Dr. Gottman's methods to avoid spiraling into an awful pattern that may be an
enormous threat to your relationship.
Evolutionary psychologists would say that jealousy exists because it is a good mate retention strategy (it helps us keep our partners because we become more attuned to
potential threats to our relationship).1 A partner's jealousy can be seen as a sign of love or affirmation of commitment.
On the other hand, adolescents may appear more accepting of your new partner than younger children, but they may still perceive that person as
a threat to your relationship.
When a social bond is formed, oxytocin reconfigures the mu - opioid system so that a loved one's presence relieves stress and pain — and that person's absence, or
a threat to the relationship, increases distress.
When the students who had a boyfriend or girlfriend learned that the new lab partner was single (and thus,
a threat to their relationship), they consistently chose the images that represented a less attractive likeness.
«Does technology pose
a threat to our relationships?
«This suggests that Facebook may be
a threat to relationships that are not fully matured.
There is a possibility that one partner's outside fling will be seen as
a threat to the relationship.
And would you want your new friend hanging out with your romantic partner, or would that be
a threat to your relationship?
Psychologists define jealousy as an emotional response to the perceived or potential loss of a valued relationship.2 If I was also polyamorous, then his other girlfriend (or girlfriends) posed
no threat to a relationship that we might have together.
When you feel as if someone poses
a threat to your relationship (whether they do or not), jealousy likely creeps in.
They take it personally when you want to spend time without them and they view it as
a threat to your relationship when you are apart.
People typically feel jealous when they sense
some threat to their relationship (perhaps some smooth operator is making moves on your significant other, and you worry this rival is more attractive / desirable than you are).
My boyfriend doesn't seem to understand that my male friends aren't
a threat to our relationship.
This doesn't necessarily mean he's insensitive; guys tend to view this sort of activity as more acceptable than women, and such behaviors do not necessarily pose
a threat to the relationship.
They may view it as
a threat to their relationship with their parents.
We will help you and your partner talk about
the threats to your relationship and teach you how to build upon your relationship strengths as well as create new skills that make the relationship more intimate and resilient and secure.
The threat to the relationship comes when any of them define how you treat each other.
Another important element to keep in mind is that taking time for yourself should not be seen as
a threat to your relationship.
Tell your friend that your friendship is
a threat to your relationship, and state clearly and emphatically that your relationship is what you value most.
(Yes, even your children are
a threat to your relationship.)
Yes, I think that other kids may feel like
a threat to our relationship right now, Sarah.