Over the next couple of months, I will be working through Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt’s 2013 book Making Marriage Simple. In it, they take the main concepts from their best-selling book Getting the Love You Want, “and add the most important relationship wisdom we’ve discovered since,” putting it all into a simpler format. […]
Principle 7: Create Shared Meaning
In this chapter (Principle 7), John Gottman emphasizes the importance of going deeper. Marriage is not just about kids, having jobs, and making love. “The more shared meaning you can find, the deeper, richer, and more rewarding your relationship will be. Along the way, you’ll also be strengthening your marital friendship. This in turn will […]
Principle 4: Let Your Partner Influence You
Let’s continue with Principle 4: Partner Influence. Studies show that “the happiest, most stable marriages, in the long run, were those in which the husband did not resist sharing power and decision-making with the wife. When the couples disagreed, these husbands actively searched for common ground rather than insisting on getting their way.” (pp.116/7) While […]
