The Different Types of Unhealthy Relationships

A romantic relationship comes with its perks; the love, the memories, the laughs. Relationships tend to start off sweet as all couples begin with the infamous honeymoon phase, however, some relationships can take an awfully sour turn. Loving tendencies can evolve into unhealthy habits, posing multiple red flags.

How do you know if you or someone you know are in an unhealthy relationship? Check if anyone could be identified as one of the following:

1. The Independent Failures

Any person in any type of relationship should be able to trust their partner and wish to have them by their side, but to a certain extent. There are some people who can become too dependent on their partner. Every decision revolves around how their partner will react, not wanting to go somewhere because their partner isn’t going, etc. The need to have a partner motivate a decision unnecessarily derails other outside relationships those have with their friends and family.

2. The Green Eyed Monster

At a point when there’s steady envy or insecurity by one partner, it could mirror a loss of confidence and trust in one’s incentive in a relationship. Communicating insecurities and desires when there’s no substantial reason will just push a partner away and diminish their genuine feelings towards them. On the off chance that there is a genuine explanation behind these sentiments, one should have to confront the issues head on with their beloved.

3. The Verbal Abuser

Verbally abusive relationships take a hearty toll on a person. It has someone you love deeply and yet they express such toxicity towards you.  The motive of a verbal abuser is to assert their dominance and make their partner vulnerable to them. It is a very troubling environment for anyone who simply wishes to be involved in a loving relationship despite the one they hate putting them down.

4. The Sexual Abuser

Possibly one of the more common red flagged relationship; the use of sexual power in order to assert dominance on the other. As discussed in the media, a sexual abuser is prone to manipulating their partner into performing sexual acts against their will. This unfortunately could lead to cases of rape within a relationship where the victim is too scared to go against their partner.

5. The Single Element

The single element refers to a single person within a relationship who tends to have more attention than the other. This could be the result of a mental illness or immaturity where the focus of their significant other is solely on the other. Nonetheless, this practice within a relationship is dysfunctional as one gives more attention to their significant other in the name of love and disregards their own problems to take care of them.

6. The Secrets

The need to keep a secret from a partner in a relationship strikes as another red flag. By being dishonest and secretive, it displays a sense of distrust in a partner. It undermines the trust one should have in a loving relationship – a person should feel safe to share anything with their partner if they cherish the relationship enough.

7. The Imbalance

A common fear among couples is the idea of one being more emotionally invested in the relationship as opposed to the other. To be more in love than to be loved creates emotional turmoil in a person’s mind. It leads to unhealthy tactics to maintain the image of what a significant other use to be like because there’s this guilt that comes with thinking lowly of a beloved. The disparity results in urgency to satisfy the more detached partner, which can prompt different types of undesirable demeanour and low self-esteem.

Unhealthy relationships may be hard to spot. A relationship is always thought of in a positive light, but not all of them are. Some may disregard negative behaviour and habits from their loved ones, but sweeping these under the carpet may not always be the best solution for the both of them.

Boyes, A. (2015, February 10). 51 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship. Retrieved November 12, 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/in-practice/201502/51-signs-unhealthy-relationship

Kids Help Phone. (2016). Healthy relationships vs. unhealthy relationships. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://kidshelpphone.ca/get-info/healthy-relationships-vs-unhealthy-relationships/

Kirsch, J. (2018, July 20). Signs your partner is using you. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.theloop.ca/signs-your-partner-is-using-you/