Relationships and "marriages go wrong when men and women fail to acknowledge,
or begin to resent, each other's complementary differences" (Moir & Jessel,
1993: 140).
Men and women tend to value events and objects differently, and so bring
different perspectives and skills to relationships and parenting. If we are
aware that men and women do place different meanings on events and objects for
their own logical reasons, we can develop respect for these different
approaches.
Showing respect for other's views is vitally important for successful
negotiation of day-to-day issues. Generally, if people feel as if they are
understood, they then feel more comfortable to negotiate to reach a compromise.
There are a number of approaches to assist couples to establish (or re-build)
respectful communication and clear boundaries in their relationships.
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