Each couple has their own understanding of what good and bad relationships are. While some think arguing about everything is harmful, others find great pleasure in a difference of opinion. However, there are some behaviors that fall into both categories of unhealthy relationships, according to psychological research.
We are here to make sure you live a happy and fulfilling life with your partner, so keep scrolling to find out what kind of partner you belong with.
Types Of Couples Relationships
Conflict Avoiders
If you and your partner do your best to keep things perfectly stable, then you are a conflict-avoiding couple. They both have their own personal interests, so each believes that the relationship is “good enough”. That is why you refrain from expressing what you need from each other.
People in this type of relationship are not looking for things of personal benefit but instead focus on areas of agreement. However, try not to avoid conflict too much, because there is a chance that your partner will start seeking attention, which is likely to lead to instances of infidelity.
Volatile Couples
You may find your relationship extremely passionate and emotional, and in this case, you fall into the category of a volatile couple. Sharing your point of view with your partner is easy because you do it with respect, humor, integrity, and goodwill.
Their relationship is based on communication, empathy, teasing, laughter, and honesty. And it’s no surprise that the Gottman Institute believes this type of couple can be quite happy.
Validating Couples
If you’re always striving to understand each other’s perspectives on things, then you’re a validating couple. You confront your issues in a soft, calm way and most importantly, your relationship is characterized by support and compassion.
You often apologize to your partner by saying things like “I’m sorry you feel this way,” because you understand what it’s like to compromise.
You fall into the 3 categories of happy couples as the intermediary between conflict avoiders and volatile couples, neither too emotional nor too nice.
Hostile Couples
Do you usually perceive high levels of defensiveness with a lot of criticism in your relationship? Do you feel that the only thing that matters to your partner is feeling good? If that’s the case, you fall into the category of the first dysfunctional dating style known as hostile dating.
Unfortunately, conflicts here are not a way of solving problems, but a real mess, since there is no support and understanding between partners for each other’s point of view.
You may also notice that you are using the terms “you always” and “never” a lot, and may slowly start to withdraw. According to research, this type of couple tends to stay together in an unhappy union.
Hostile-detached Couples
When it comes to their relationship, hostile feelings and behaviors are present: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and blocking, but with the added willingness to separate from each other. You feel like there is nothing to fight for because trust has already been eroded.
As mentioned above, people in this type of relationship are quite hostile to each other, just like the hostile couple type, but the difference is that this one is prone to divorce. Emotional abuse is a constant in this group because the two keep fighting until they are exhausted and drained.
What kind of couple do you think you fit in with? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!
