By: Barbi Pecenco, MFT-Intern

We have a couple of choices in our relationships when it comes to things we disagree with our partner about. We can:

1) Ignore what we want and give in to please our partner
2) Stand up for what we want and ask/insist that our partner meet us halfway

3) Consider what we want, consider what our partner wants, and then decide to go along with what our partner wants

If we choose option #1, we risk disappointing ourselves, feeling taken advantage of, and building up resentment against our partner. In the long run, this option creates a gap in the relationship, which may inevitably kill the partnership. Our partner may not even know that we aren't happy with what we are doing, especially if we haven't tried option #2 which is to ask our partner to meet us in the middle and negotiate something we can both feel good about.

I recently counseled a couple who was in this situation. They spent nearly every (non-working) waking moment together. The boyfriend thought this was a good arrangement. She wanted more space just to be by herself and get some quality alone time. However, she mostly gave in to his desire to spend time together and was in turn getting resentful as hell. And her boyfriend had no idea! She hadn't spoken up and let him know what she needed. He was very surprised to hear how important it was to her to be by herself at times. Her giving in on this was poisoning the relationship and her boyfriend didn't even have the opportunity to make any changes because she didn't make her needs clear.

When we choose option #2 we feel entitled to what we want and feel secure that we will be heard. We have no problem speaking up for what we think and what we want. Or we feel the fear and do it anyway, because we know it's important to our well-being and also to the relationship. If our partner tries to make a unilateral decision that doesn't include us, we let him/her know that is unacceptable and we insist on our point of view being considered. This is a true partnership. We are never going to agree on every decision and our wants and needs are likely to be different from our partner's. But this doesn't mean our relationship can't work. We just need to be willing and able to negotiate something that both people can live with.

If we don't feel strongly about the decision, then maybe we don't make a huge deal about it that this year we wanted a ski vacation instead of a beach one. But if we really wanted the ski vacation, then it won't work to remain silent and give in on it or even to speak up, be discounted, and inevitably give in anyway out of defeat. We just really aren't going to enjoy that vacation and even worse, again, we will likely become resentful of our partner. We need to speak up and ask our partner to meet us in the middle about where the yearly vacation will be or any other issue that we feel strongly about.

Couples often believe that they fall out of love. They don't realize that they let so much resentment build up from giving in and not feeling heard, that they decide, seemingly out of nowhere, months or years later that they just can't stand their partner anymore. And again, their partner may not even realize that the beach vacation wasn't a compromise because the other wasn't clear about what he/she wanted. I saw this with a couple I work with. The husband really believed he had compromised with his wife on a number of issues. To his surprise, she just hadn't said anything about what she thought because she wanted so much to please him and because she hated conflict. But instead of this being protective of the relationship, as the wife had intended, it actually began to destroy their marriage, again due to all the resentment she had built up against him and how disappointed she was in herself that she wouldn't stand up for herself.

Option #3 is another form of negotiation that's a little different than simply standing up for yourself. Back to the ski vs. beach vacation--if there are once-in-a-lifetime waves forming in Costa Rica this year and your partner just HAS to go there for vacation, then even though you REALLY wanted the ski vacation, you may still go ahead and agree to take the surf vacation. In this case, you aren't giving in and getting resentful. Instead you are weighing your needs, and also your partner's, and deciding that you can do the beach vacation WITHOUT getting resentful. You are making an investment in the relationship by doing what your partner wants. And you really are OK with the decision. And perhaps you make a deal that next year will be the ski vacation, which really helps you to be OK with surfing.

The point is that we can't give in when we truly believe in something or really want something. The risk is too great, in that we may actually kill the relationship long term when we don't require ourselves to speak up or require our partner to hear us. Don't be fooled that avoiding conflict by giving in is good for your relationship. It's just the opposite, unless you can look inside and really be OK with the decision you make. Be clear with yourself about whether you are giving in and getting resentful or investing in the relationship without resentment.

This article was written by Barbi Pecenco Kolski, Marriage & Family Therapist Intern. She specializes in relationship counseling in San Diego, CA. You can find more information at her website www.sdcouplestherapy.com.