Marriage is not always easy, and Washington couples can expect there to be some turbulence along the way. However, there are certain signs that experts use to predict when a marriage is in real trouble. Some are more subtle and some more obvious, but it is important that couples recognize them so they can begin to make changes in their relationship before the problems become too big to fix.
According to Psych Central, marriage therapists discuss four main types of behavior that are good indicators of divorce. The chances of a breakup increase substantially if more than one of these is present in a relationship. One sign is contempt towards the other spouse. In this serious behavior, one attacks the other’s sense of self with conduct such as mocking, name calling, sneering, using sarcasm or eye rolling.
Another sign is when one partner criticizes the other’s character or personality in order to make him or her wrong. A third sign is stonewalling, which is when one shuts down physically or emotionally to avoid conflict. The final predictor is defensiveness, in which one partner makes excuses or cross complains.
Not all signs require a therapist’s way of thinking. Live About discusses some other signs of impending divorce. These include:
- There are more negative things than positive things in the relationship
- One partner fantasizes often about a different life
- Lack of communication and sharing with each other
- Intimacy is severely lacking
- One distances him- or herself from the marriage and does not work on existing problems