People get into relationships with all sorts of preconceived notions. The honeymoon phase doesn’t last forever and if couples in Canada don’t work on their marriages or partnerships, they may soon be heading for splitsville and ultimately a divorce. So, instead of giving each other the cold shoulder, couples might realize that there may be times when they expect too much from the mate and honest communication may be the way to remedy that issue.
Statistically speaking, things don’t look bright for married couples. Four out of 10 marriages end in divorce, according to the 2006 census. Statistics Canada will no longer collect data pertaining to divorce rates in the country. But the numbers are escalating. Experts think it might have something to do with unrealistic expectations each partner places on the other.
When those expectations aren’t met, there may be feelings of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Psychologists say each individual in a marriage may rely on the other to create their happiness, make them feel attractive, and fulfilled. That is a pretty heavy burden to place on another human being — spouse or not. There is a difference, experts say, of wanting support from a partner and expecting him or her to create happiness that only can be manifested within a person and not by anyone else. To do so will only breed disappointment.
Even those couples in Canada who realize this may not be able to iron out their differences. Even when there has been give and take and communication, other things in life may get in the way and a couple may not be able to connect anymore and so make the difficult and often painful decision to divorce. In these cases, legal counsel may help in preparing each individual for ending a marriage. An understanding lawyer with family law experience may be able to provide information to help his or her client make decisions that are right in the short and long term.
Source: huffingtonpost.ca, “Expecting Too Much From Partners Could Be A Reason Why Marriages Fail“, Chloe Tejada, Accessed on Feb.9, 2018