分类 恋爱关系 下的文章

It starts innocently enough. You meet someone through a mutual friend, or on a dating app, and after a few dates, there’s a funny feeling in your stomach, an indicator that this person is different. Special. There’s something about them, you think. Time seems to fly by and after a few months, you’re convinced your soul mate has arrived because the emotion you feel is strong enough to power a city. I’m in love, you think, as you re-read old text messages and scroll through their Instagram feed.

这段感情的开端足够单纯。你们通过某位共同好友或者在某约会软件相识,在约会数次后,你心中有种奇妙感觉,这表明对方与其他人不同,很特别。你觉得他们有种特别之处。时间如若飞逝,在数月之后,你坚信你已经找到了你的灵魂伴侣,因为你所感受到的澎湃感情足以为整个城市提供能源。当你重读之前信息,或浏览对方Instagram页面时,“我陷入爱河了”,你想。

You ride a wave of bliss and cannot for one second imagine the feeling coming to an end, and with that kind of optimism, you pack up your stuff and move in together. When you know, you know, you tell your friends and family.

你内心充满幸福甜蜜,甚至无法想象这一感觉会停止。带着这种乐观,你收拾好自己的行李,开始和对方同居。“当你知道时,你自然就会知道。”你这样告诉你的朋友和家人。

And then you wake up one morning and realize that your soul mate, your one and only, your forever and ever love, is actually doing things that to you seem illogical and if you're honest with yourself, kind of stupid.

然后,一天早晨你醒来,你发现你的灵魂伴侣,你的唯一,你永远的爱,却在做着某些在你看来完全不合逻辑,而且坦白说,有些愚蠢的事情。

They wait until the last minute to get things done. They don’t seem at all concerned that they're always late to social gatherings or to work. They don't wash their fruit before they eat it, and they don't seem to know how to drive. They spend money with no budget in mind, and they never seem to be worried about the future. They have no sense of organization, and you are always cleaning up after them.

他们总是拖延到最后一刻,他们似乎完全不在乎总是在聚会或工作中迟到,他们吃水果之前并不会洗一下,他们似乎也不懂如何开车。他们花钱毫无预算概念,而且似乎从来不会考虑未来。他们毫无条理性,你总是跟在他屁股后面帮他整理烂摊子。

You’ve always been the planner, the organizer, the mothership of proactive measures, and as you see their terrible habits playing out, you worry that your relationship won’t go the distance. Having always been told that you are a generous, kind-hearted, and compassionate person, you embark on a mission to help your partner become a better version of themselves: to coach them into perfection.

你一直扮演着规划者,整理者的角色,你制定所有主动措施。当你看到他们的不良习惯浮现,你开始担忧这段感情并不会长久。一直被告知你是一个慷慨,善良和富有同情心之人,你开始踏上了履行一个使命的征程:帮助你的伴侣成为更好的人,指导对方变得完美。

With patience, you encourage them to make different choices. “Maybe you should try getting up earlier,” you say. “Maybe we can sit down and look at your finances and help you budget.”

你很耐心地鼓励对方做不同的选择。“或许你该尝试早起一些,”你说。“或许我们可以坐下来,看一下你的财务问题,帮你制定预算。”

Soon enough, most of your sentences begin with “Don’t forget to…” or “Remember that you need to…” and although you started off with a great deal of patience, you see that none of your efforts are working. Your partner’s still doing the same annoying things, and now you’re annoyed, angry, and frustrated because they don’t appreciate how much you’re trying to help them. After all, isn’t that what love is all about? Coaching our partners and helping them to be better versions of themselves?

很快,你的大多数句子都起始于“不要忘记……”“记得你需要……”尽管一开始你带着大量的耐心,但你发现你的一切努力都徒劳无功。对方依旧死性不改,于是你变得恼怒,生气,沮丧,因为你觉得对方对你的帮助并不领情。毕竟,难道这不就是爱情本该有的样子吗?指导并帮助对方成为他们更好的自己?

Well, no.

呃,并非如此!

Why are you raising your partner?
你为什么在抚养你的另一半

All of us arrive in relationships with a particular set of beliefs, perspectives, and values that are born from our own experiences and upbringing. No two people are ever the same, and how you show up in a relationship is likely a product of what you experienced long before your partner looked into your eyes and made the world spin a little faster.

我们所有人在进入一段感情时都带着一套特定的理念/观点和价值观,它们来自于我们的人生经历和被养育过程。没有任何两个人是完全一样的。你在一段感情中所呈现的样子,是你往昔经历的产物,而且这些经历远在你的另一半凝视你双眸,让你心中小鹿乱撞很久之前就已经发生。

If you always slip into a pattern of “raising” your partner, consider that maybe you saw the same dynamic playing out in the relationship between your parents. Having been modeled for you for all of your childhood, it may have registered as the normal, healthy dynamic between two people who love each other.

如果你总是会陷入抚养另一半的感情模式,那么考虑其原因可能是这是你在你父母之间看到的感情模式。童年时期你一直耳濡目染,它可能会让你觉得这是两个相爱之人之间的正常/健康模式。

Perhaps you got well-intentioned advice over and over again from friends and family members. I remember talking to a friend of mine about some of my frustrations early on in my marriage. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You just need to train him.” Train him? I thought. I married a human being, not a Labrador retriever.

也可能是来自亲朋好友的一遍又一遍善意的建议。我记得和我一个朋友讲述我在刚结婚时遇到的一些受挫情况时。“别担心,”她说,“你只是需要训练他。”训练他?我想。我嫁给的是一个人,不是一只拉布拉多。

Another reason might be that your partner’s way of existing in the world actually causes you a great deal of distress, because it is wildly different from how you have chosen to live your own life. So when you endeavor to “help” your partner, to mold them, train them, and change them to fit your own beliefs and worldview, perhaps you're trying to mitigate your own discomfort with things being contrary to what you believe.

还有一个原因可能是对方的生活方式的确给你造成了很大痛苦,因为他的生活方式与你所选择的生活方式差异巨大。因此,当你试图去“帮助”你的另一半,去塑造对方,训练对方,按照你的理念和世界观改变对方时,可能你只是在缓解面对与自己理念相悖之事物时所产生的不适感。

Maybe it’s just easier and safer to focus on someone else rather than on yourself. There’s a part of you that recognizes there’s some stuff you haven’t processed, some hard truths about yourself you don’t want to face; turning your attention on your partner seems like a sound strategy to avoid feeling uncomfortable. After all, if you were conditioned to believe that being anything less than perfect is unacceptable, it’s not logical that you would then grow up to be an adult who can embrace your vulnerabilities. It makes more sense to avoid them altogether.

可能只是因为聚焦于别人,而非自己,这样更简单,更安全。你内心有一部分意识到你自己还存在某种未解决的问题,还有一些你不想面对的,关于自己的残酷真相,于是,将注意力转向另一半,似乎就是一个良好的策略,它可以让你避免感到不适。毕竟,如果你被灌输一定要完美才可以,那么你长大成人后就不大可能会接受自己的脆弱之处。这时候,完全回避这些脆弱之处,似乎就是较为合理的做法。

If you experienced a great deal of uncertainty, instability, or traumatic losses throughout your childhood, this may have impacted how you manage your day-to-day now. Your way of establishing safety and stability in the world may have manifested as an emphasis on controlling every area of your life; you plan every step and do everything in your power to avoid feeling the same fear, sadness, and hurt that you may have felt as a child. Your partner forging their own path may trigger an alarm that things are not safe, which means you need to control every aspect of your life, and also theirs.

如果你在童年时期经历了大量的不确定性,不稳定性,或失去过某些重要的人或物且这些失去给你留下了创伤,这可能也会影响你的日常行为方式。你在这个世界上构建安全感和稳定感的方式,可能表现为侧重于控制生活中每个方面。你会规划每一步,尽己所能避免再次感受到童年时期所感受到的那些恐惧,悲伤和伤痛。你的另一半按照自己方式生活,可能会触发你内心的警报,让你感到不安全,让你觉得你需要控制你生活和对方生活中的一切。

How it impacts your sex life
这对你的性生活有何影响

If you have noticed that your sex life has dropped off, if you no longer reach for each other the moment you’re in the same room, it may be that the interactions between you have become too parental, which is not the sexiest dynamic in the world.

如果你注意到你们性生活已经热情消退,你们同处一室时不再互相触碰对方,那么你们之间的感情模式可能就变得过于亲子化,而这种感情模式并非世界上最性感的感情模式。

When you channel all of your energy toward making sure your partner is improving, changing, progressing, and growing, you run the risk of forgetting two important factors: They never asked you for help, and they managed to survive before they met you. Rather than change and grow, they remain firmly entrenched in their ways, and you end up feeling exhausted, frustrated, resentful, and worst of all, unappreciated. This is not a recipe for an active sex life.

当你将所有精力倾注在提升对方,改变对方,让对方前进,成长时,你可能就面临着忘却两项重要因素的风险:

对方从未要求你提供帮助,而且在遇到你之前他们也活的好好的。

对方并未改变和成长,而是依旧固执坚持原来的种种习惯,你则最终感到精疲力尽,受挫沮丧,充满怨恨,而且最糟糕的是,觉得不被珍惜。这可不是构建幸福性生活的配方。

If you are the person being parented, you might be feeling like a 5-year-old who's constantly getting in trouble or trying to get things right so that your partner doesn’t get upset with you. This too may kill any desire for intimacy you may have had when you first met, because you’re starting to feel like you moved in with a younger version of your parent. Again, not sexy.

如果你是被“抚养”的那一方,你可能会觉得自己像是一个5岁小孩,一直担心招惹麻烦,或战战兢兢如履薄冰生怕惹对方不开心。这也可能会扼杀任何你们刚相识时所感受到的亲密欲望,因为你开始觉得和你同居在一起的是你年轻版的父母。同样,这也毫无性感可言。

So what do you do?
该如何做

Make a decision as to whether or not you really want to stay in your relationship. You may have to explore what drew you to them in the first place and ask yourself some tough questions: Do I really love them? What, exactly, do I love? If you are hyper-focused on the things that bother you, it’s easy to forget the important stuff: Maybe you share the same values, maybe you both want the same things, maybe you share the same faith. Remembering these things can help you determine whether or not you want to stay or throw in the towel.

决定自己是否真的想继续这段感情。首先,你可能需要探究最初是什么让你觉得对方有吸引力,并问自己一些很艰难的问题:我真的爱对方吗?我究竟爱的是什么呢?如果你过度关注那些困扰你的事情,可能就很易于忘记一些重要的事情:可能你们拥有相同的价值观,可能你们都追求同样的事物,可能你们有着共同的信仰。记住,这些事情可以帮助你决定你是否真的想要继续这段感情。

Focus on yourself. Rather than focusing on your partner’s habits, make a conscious effort to turn inward and explore your own relationship expectations and perspectives. Working with a therapist can help you identify and understand stubborn patterns that perhaps you want to change, and help you challenge old beliefs about yourself and/or relationships that have never really served you.

关注自身,而非关注对方的习惯,主动内省,探究自己对感情的期望和视角。寻求心理医生的帮助,这可以帮助你识别并理解自己需要改变的一些固有行为模式,帮助你质疑你对自己,以及往昔负面/毒性感情关系一贯持有的观点看法。

Relinquish control. I would be lying if I said this was easy, because having control may have always been your way of feeling safe and secure, or maybe this was how you learned to express love. Whatever the reason, when you endeavor to explore other paths that are outside of your comfort zone, it might feel terrifying, or it may seem like entirely too much work.

放弃控制欲。如果我说这很简单,那么我肯定是在撒谎,因为掌控感可能一直以来都是你获得安全感的方式,可能也是你所学到的表达爱的方式。无论原因是什么,当你尝试探索自己舒适区之外的路径时,你可能感到恐惧,或者感到很难招架。

But if you’ve realized that you do love the person, and you want the relationship to work, remind yourself constantly that the only thing over which you have real agency is you. No amount of well-intentioned effort on your part will ever change someone who hasn’t first recognized the changes they’d like to make for themselves.

但如果你意识到你真的很爱对方,而且你也想要这段感情修成正果,那么不断提醒自己:你唯一真正能控制的,是自己。如果一个人并未首先意识到自己想要做出某种改变,那么,无论你做出多么善意的努力,都不会令其改变的。

Be a team, not adversaries. If your partner’s up for it, seek a couple’s therapist. Sometimes you can fall into the trap of thinking that your partner is the problem, or perhaps they think you’re the problem. A therapist may help you see that neither you nor they are the problem, but that there is a problem, and it can be resolved by working together, not independently.

成为一个团队,而非敌人。如果对方愿意,可以寻求婚姻咨询师的帮助。有时你们可能会陷入这样一个陷阱,即,都觉得对方才是问题所在。婚姻咨询师可能会帮助你们看到问题并不在于你们,但的确是存在某种问题,而且你们可以共同努力来解决这一问题,而非只靠一方单独解决。

Talking to someone doesn’t have to mean that your relationship is coming to an end. I’ve worked with couples that simply want to work on understanding each other better, and to improve how they resolve conflicts and challenges.

寻求咨询师帮助,并不意味着你们的感情走到了终点。我曾有一些客户,他们单纯只是想要更好地理解对方,提升他们解决冲突和挑战的方式。

Conclusion
结论

No matter how you show up in relationships, know that it is not something to be judged, but to be explored, understood, and appreciated because there's value and purpose to be found in all of our experiences. The more you understand yourself, the better you can do what might seem impossible: accept your partner for who they are, and not for who you want them to be.

无论你以何种方式出现在一段感情中,都需要知道,这并不应该被指手画脚地评判,而是需要被探索,被理解,被珍惜,因为在我们所有经历中都存在某种价值和目的。你对自己理解得越充分,你就能够更好地完成那些看起来似乎不可能的事:接受另一半本身的样子,而非你想让他/她成为的样子。

Most of us have been on the receiving end of emotional blackmail at some point in our relationship history.
我们大部分人都曾在往昔感情关系中某个时间点受到过情感勒索。

Sometimes we were more aware of it; other times, we didn’t see it depending on how obvious the manipulation was. One thing is for sure; it feels miserable to be a victim of blackmail.
有时我们可以较为轻松识别,但其他时候则取决于对方操纵手段的明显性。但有一点是肯定的,那就是作为情感勒索的受害者,感觉非常糟糕。

You can employ methods to handle the situation once you recognize the signs. Before we move on to spotting the signals and finding ways to deal with the blackmail, let’s first define what is emotional blackmail.
一旦你能够识别情感勒索的迹象,那么就可以采用方法应对这种情形。在介绍相关迹象和应对方法之前,首先让我们来定义什么是情感勒索。

Emotional blackmail is a form of dysfunctional dynamic that happens in some close relationships where a person uses various forms of manipulations to get you to do what they want.
情感勒索是一种不良的关系状态。它发生于一些亲密感情关系中,是指其中一方采用各种类型的操纵手段,让你做他们想要你做的事情。

A person trying to emotionally blackmail you will instill feelings of anger, fear, or guilt to get you to comply with what they want when they want it. However, in these situations, it can be difficult to gauge and clearly point to whether the victim is being manipulated.
试图情感勒索你的人会向你注入愤怒、恐惧或内疚感,以此来让你服从他们的要求和欲望。但在这些情形中,可能会很难衡量或很难明确说出受害者是否正在被操纵。

Leaders in the field, Susan Forward and Donna Frazier identify the power dynamic that occurs in such manipulation. They suggest that emotional blackmailers employ a fear – emotion – guilt tactic to get what they want.
该领域领军人物 Susan Forward 和 Donna Frazier找出了这类操纵的底层运作方式。他们提出,情感勒索者会采用一种“恐惧——情感——内疚”的策略来让对方满足自己。

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FOG

FOG is a term named by Forward, suggesting that fear, obligation, and guilt are the dynamics in emotional blackmail between the manipulator and the victim. The acronym FOG also accurately describes the confusion and lack of clarity and thinking that can occur in these interpersonal dynamics. Emotional blackmail can create a fog and contribute to feelings of fear, obligation, guilt, and anxiety.
FOG 是 Forward提出的一个术语,指代操纵者和受害者之间情感勒索关系的三个动力:恐惧、义务和内疚。
这一首字母缩写词同时也精确描述了这类人际关系中可能出现的如fog(雾)一般的困惑、混沌和无法理性思考等情形。情感勒索会生成一片大雾,并造成恐惧、义务感、内疚和焦虑等感受。

Emotional blackmail in relationships can be more or less subtle and appear as withholding of affection, disappointment, or even slight changes in body language and tone of voice.
感情关系中的情感勒索可能会或多或少微妙一些,而且会表现为收回爱意、失望、甚至肢体语言和语调的细微变化。

Because the tactics can be covert, emotional blackmail may be difficult to spot, especially for those who may experience more vulnerabilities to it. According to Forward,
由于策略的隐蔽性,可能就会很难识别情感勒索,尤其是对于那些更易受其影响之人。根据 Forward所说:

“Blackmailers make it nearly impossible to see how they’re manipulating us, because they lay down a thick fog that obscures their actions. All the while, if we attempt to fight back, they ensure that we literally can’t see what is happening to us.”
“情感勒索者让人几乎无法看出他们在操纵我们,因为他们用一层厚厚的大雾遮蔽了他们的行为。整个过程中,如果我们试图反抗,他们会确保让我们完全看不出他们的行为本质。”

They can use covert techniques that create confusion by:
他们会采用以下隐性策略来障人耳目:

Making their demands seem reasonable
让他们的要求看起来具有合理性;

Make the victim feel selfish
让受害者感到是自己自私;

Pathologizing or making the victim seem as though they are crazy
指责是受害者有病(生理或心理)或思维不正常。

Ally with someone of influence to intimidate the victim
拉某一有影响力者站在自己同一战队,试图震慑受害者。

Regardless of the types of emotional blackmail, one thing in common with all emotional blackmailing tactics is the element of threat – if you don’t comply, there will be consequences.
无论情感勒索类型如何,其所有策略的一个共同点,就是“威胁”——如果你不服从,会有后果的!

Tactics
策略

An individual can adopt either of the following tactics or a combination of them to emotionally blackmail their partner:
一个人可能会采用以下一种或数种策略来对伴侣进行情感勒索:

01
The punisher/惩罚者

As the name suggests, in this kind of emotional blackmail step, an individual implores different forms of punishment or threats of punishment as a way to get what they want.
Withholding affection, threats of ending the relationship, putting restrictions on their partner, anger, silent treatment, and even physical punishments and abuse.
如名称所示,这一类型的情感勒索方式中,勒索者会采用不同形式的惩罚或威胁给予惩罚的方式,试图达成自己目的。收回爱意、威胁分手、限制对方、愤怒、冷战甚至肢体惩罚或暴力。

02
The self punisher/自我惩罚者
Here the manipulation happens by using guilt or the suggestion of possible guilt to instill fear.
Threats of self-harm, blaming their partner for their problems and difficulties are some common threats used to trigger fear in others.
这种操纵方式是指通过内疚或暗示可能发生的内疚感而使对方感到恐惧。
威胁自残、将个人问题或困难归咎于伴侣,是一些用于触发别人恐惧感的常见威胁形式。

03
The sufferer/痛苦者
A sufferer holds their hopelessness over their partners’ heads to get them to do what they need.
They blame their problems due to their partner’s actions and threaten them that if they don’t do what they need, it will only add to the suffering.
痛苦者不断提起自己的悲惨无望,以此操纵伴侣满足自己需求。
他们将个人问题归咎于伴侣的行为,而且,他们会威胁说,如果对方不满足他们所需,他们会更痛苦。

They depend on fear, obligation, and guilt to get what they want.
他们依赖于恐惧、义务和内疚感来达成自己目标。

04
The tantalizer/画饼者

A tantalizer uses compensations or rewards to get something from you, but each time you pass one obstacle, there’s another waiting and you just can’t keep up.
Promising some sort of remuneration, especially something that you need or desire, however, their promises rarely ever materialize.
画饼者通过补偿或奖励的方式试图从你这里得到某样东西,但每次你越过一个障碍后,还会有另一个障碍在等着你,而且会让你应接不暇。
许诺给与某种回报,尤其是一些你需要或渴望的东西,但他们的承诺几乎很少兑现。

Now that we have defined what is emotional blackmail, we need to shed some light on how to recognize it. It is not always easy to spot it, especially when the person attempting to manipulate is sophisticated and socially intelligent.
现在我们已经定义了什么是情感勒索,那么接下来我们需要了解如何识别。情感勒索并非总是能够轻易识别,尤其是当试图操纵你的人是个老江湖且深谙人心时。

Signs of emotional blackmail
情感勒索的迹象

Signs of emotional blackmail might not be evident immediately, so you could be blackmailed and not be conscious of it.
情感勒索的迹象可能一开始并不明显,所以你可能在不知不觉间就被勒索了。

Familiarizing ourselves with the signs of emotional blackmail can be a measure of protection. Let’s study some of the most common signs and examples of emotional blackmail in relationships.
熟悉这些迹象,可以作为我们的一种自我保护措施。让我们来了解一下感情关系中一些最常见的迹象和示例。

  1. Being accused of everything negative that happens

只要有负面事件发生,你必被指责。

Do they blame you and avoid taking accountability for their actions?
When in a relationship with a person who is emotionally blackmailing you, everything that goes on in the relationship or their life becomes your responsibility.
他们是否指责你,并逃避为自己的行为负责?
当在一段感情关系中,一方对你进行情感勒索时,这段关系中以及他们生活中的每件事情都变成了你的责任。

Example/示例:
If you were paying more attention to me, I wouldn’t have cheated.
If you helped out more with chores, I would have gotten that promotion at work.
如果你当时多关注我一些的话,我本不会出轨的。
如果你多帮忙做一些家务的话,我本来可以得到那个升职机会的。

  1. Keeping you out of their good grace

不受对方待见

Due to the blame-shifting for every little thing, you feel like you are constantly apologizing and needing to earn back their affection.
Even when you don’t feel like you should, they twist the situation around quite skillfully, so you think it is your fault and apologize to them.
When you are sorry for something, you need to earn back their affection, giving them the upper hand.
由于在每件鸡毛蒜皮小事上将责任推给你,你感觉自己不断在道歉,需要赢回他们的爱意。
即使当你觉得你并不应该这么做,但他们会相当高超地扭曲事实,让你觉得是你的错,你需要向他们道歉。
而当你为某件事道歉时,这意味着你需要赢回他们的爱意,这就让他们占了上风。

Example/示例:
It’s your fault! I missed my train and was late for work. How will you make it up to me? If you fix this, I will think about trusting/caring/loving you again.
这是你的错!我错过了车,工作迟到了,你怎么能够补偿我?如果你能解决这一问题,我就考虑再次信任/关心/爱你。

  1. Lack of compromise or true apology on their end

对方从不妥协或真心道歉

Instead of constantly apologizing on your side, they do not genuinely regret their actions or make any changes. You can tell it is an empty justification they are providing because they are unwilling to back it up with actions.
与你总是在道歉不同,他们从不真心悔改个人行为,也从不做任何干煸。你能分辨出他们的话语只不过是空洞的托辞而已,因为他们并不愿意付诸行动。

Example/示例:
I’m taking this job no matter what you think about moving.
You know how I feel; there is no need to make me apologize.
不管你想不想搬家,我都要接受这份工作。
你知道我的感受是什么。不需要非得逼着我道歉。

  1. Making you seem irrational for questioning them

当你质疑他们时,让你看起来仿佛是你不讲理

Have you ever tried to bring some of their errors to light? Have they turned the tables not only to make it seem like it was your fault but also make you appear illogical?
They always have a way to rationalize their unreasonable requests, and you end up being the crazy one if you dare question them.
你是否曾尝试指出他们的一些错误?他们是否调转局面,不仅让一切看起来都是你的错,而且还让你看起来是不讲逻辑的那一方。
他们总是能够让自己的不合理请求变得合理化,而你如果胆敢提出质疑,那么最后你就会是不正常的那一方。

Example/示例:
I told my friend, and they agree you are being absurd about this.
My therapist/pastor/family agrees that what you did was unreasonable, and I am not to blame here.
我告诉了我的朋友,他们都认同在这件事上你很荒唐。
我的心理咨询师/牧师/家人都认同你的行为很无理取闹,我说这话可不是在指责你。

  1. Exhorting sacrifices from you for their happiness

勒索你为他们的幸福而做出牺牲

In the beginning, extortion can be more subtle, but it can become more apparent over time.
You begin doing anything you can so they would be pleased because your peace of mind is connected to their satisfaction.
Therefore you make more sacrifices than you might be willing because only when they are satisfied you can count on some harmony.
刚开始,这种勒索可能较为含蓄,但会逐渐变得愈发明显。你开始尽己所能满足对方请求,以取悦对方,因为你的心理安宁与他们的满意感是捆绑在一起的。
因此你会做一些自己不愿意做的牺牲,因为只有当他们满意时,你才能获得一些和谐安宁。

Example/示例:
If you don’t skip the party to take care of me when I am blue, what kind of partner are you? If you can’t provide for me when I am unemployed, maybe I need a new partner.
如果在我心情不好时,你不推掉那个派对来照顾我,那你算什么伴侣呢?
如果我失业时你不给我经济援助,那么我可能需要换个新的伴侣了。

  1. Intimidating you or threatening

恐吓或威胁

Some of the more overt symptoms of emotional abuse involve threats to harm you, your close ones, or themselves.
Intimidating, you will get them what they want, so they might resort to this method if they feel nothing else is working.
情感虐待的一些较为明显的症状包括威胁伤害你、威胁伤害你亲近的人或他们自己。
通过恐吓你,他们就能够达成自身目的,那么当他们觉得其他方式不奏效时,他们就可能会故技重施。

Example/示例:
Don’t you think of leaving me, because I will make sure you never see the kids again.
If you ever love someone else, I will kill myself.
别想着离开我,因为我会确保你再也见不到孩子。
如果你爱上别人,我会自杀。

  1. Cosmetic concerns about your well-being

借关心之名,行操纵之实

When in a relationship with a person who is emotionally blackmailing you, you feel like there is no room for your voice and needs unless they are somehow tied to the satisfaction of their desires.
当与情感勒索你的人同处一段感情关系中时,你感觉这段感情中容不下你的声音和需求,除非它们在某种方式上与对方欲求的满足有关联。

Example/示例:
I care for you, so I don’t want you to be friends with them anymore.
I need you to be okay now because I can’t make it without you.
我关心你,所以我不想你和他们再做朋友。
我需要你现在好好的,因为没有你我不知道怎么办。

  1. Setting boundaries is close to impossible

几乎不可能设置界限

Not only do you not feel heard, you feel you can’t say “no” or push back. Any type of firm boundary is met with disappointment, withdrawal of affection, or more obvious signals of blackmail such as threats.
Boundaries could prohibit them from getting what they need from you; therefore, you feel like standing up for yourself only makes things worse. When you try to push back, they often come after your sense of worth.
不仅你感到对方根本听不进去你的话,你还感觉你不能说“不”或不能反抗。任何类型的坚定界限都会遭受到对方的失望、爱意的收回,或其他更明显的勒索迹象,比如威胁等。
界限,会禁止他们操控你以满足他们所需。因此,你感觉自我捍卫只会让情形恶化。当你尝试反抗时,他们通常会攻击你的自我价值感。

Example/示例:
If you don’t do as I ask, you are worthless to me.
If you do that, I will make sure you pay for it.
如果你不按照我的要求做,你对我而言就一文不值。
你过你那样做,我会确保你会付出代价的。

  1. Controlling what you do

控制你的行为

One of the most evident signals of emotional blackmail is the control they impose. If they were to lose it, they might lose everything they gain from you.
Therefore they will use fear, obligation, threats, and guilt to make sure you follow and obey.
情感勒索的最明显迹象之一,是对方所施加的控制。如果他们失去这种控制权,他们可能就会失去从你这里得到的一切。
因此他们会使用恐惧、义务、威胁和内疚等工具来确保你一直听话服从。

Example/示例:
I don’t want you to see them so often.
If I ever see you with another man/woman, I will kill him/her.
我不想让你经常和他们见面。
如果任何时候我看见你和另一个男性/女性在一起,我会杀了他/她的。

6 stages of emotional blackmail
情感勒索的6个阶段

According to Susan Forward and Donna Fraizer of ‘Emotional Blackmail,’ emotional blackmail happens in a cycle. But they have identified six stages of emotional blackmail:
根据《情感勒索》作者Susan Forward 和 Donna Fraizer的观点,情感勒索是呈循环状的。但他们找出了情感勒索的6个阶段。

  1. Demand/提出要求

The person states more or less explicitly a request. Often they phrase it so it seems they are showing concern about you. However, they attempt to control you by seemingly caring for you.
勒索者提出一个或明确或不是很明确的请求。通常他们会精心措辞,将这一请求伪装成对你的关心,但实际上却是试图控制你。

  1. Resistance/反抗

Since this is something you are not inclined to provide, you refuse, as it is often quite an unreasonable demand. Your resistance could be direct or implied, like “forgetting” to do what they asked.
由于你不大愿意做,因为这类请求通常都很不合理,所以你会拒绝。你的反抗可能会是直接或委婉的,比如,“忘记”他们的请求。

  1. Pressure/施压

What distinguishes a person who is trying to emotionally blackmail you from someone who genuinely cares for you is how they react to your resistance.
In a healthy relationship, your partner will accept your refusal or try to find a solution that works for you. When it comes to emotional blackmail, you only receive more pressure or threats when you resist.
能过区分情感勒索和真正关心的一点时,面对你的反抗,他们作何反应。
在一段健康感情关系中,对方会接受你的拒绝,并会努力找出一个你想要的解决方案。而在情感勒索中,当你反抗时,只会面临更多压力或威胁。

  1. Threats/威胁

The blackmail itself can be direct or indirect threats that can lead to anxiety. Threats can be issued using words like:
If you go out tonight, I might not be here when you come back.
If you can’t stay with me, maybe I should find someone who cares about how I feel.
勒索本身可以表现为各种会导致受害者焦虑的直接或间接威胁。威胁之语可能类似于:
如果你今晚出去,你回来时我可能就不在这里了。
如果你不能和我待在一起,可能我需要另找一个在乎我感受的人了。

  1. Compliance/服从

At first, you don’t want to give in, but you also don’t want them to actualize their threats. Therefore, over time, you comply, and turmoil is replaced with peace and comfort.
一开始,你并不想屈服,但你也不想让他们的威胁成真。因此,慢慢地,你开始服从,这样就终于可以不用鸡飞狗跳大动干戈,终于可以享受一时风平浪静了。

  1. Repetition/重复

When you eventually cave, you learn that it is easier to go along with their demand than protest. They learn what methods to use to exercise control more effectively. Hence the pattern is reinforced.
当你最终屈服,你发现服从要比抗议更轻松。他们也学到了那种方法可以更有效控制你,这样这一模式就得到了强化。

10 tips for handling emotional blackmail
应对情感勒索的10条建议

If you suspect you are being emotionally blackmailed, there are things you can do. Please note you should only follow this advice and confront the person if you feel safe doing so.
如果你怀疑你在被情感勒索,那么可以实施以下策略。要注意,只有在你感觉能够保证自身安全的情形下,才可以采取以下建议、对抗对方。

  1. Recognize it for what it is

意识到行为本质

If you suspect you are being emotionally blackmailed, start by paying more attention to the dynamic of your relationship. If you want to solve a problem, you need to know what you’re dealing with.
Be careful not to misinterpret your partner’s need to restate some boundaries or advocate for their needs as blackmail. It is only blackmail when it involves pressure, control, and threats.
如果你怀疑自己正在被情感勒索,首先更多关注你们的感情互动状态。要解决问题,首先需要识别问题。
注意不要将对方重述个人界限或捍卫个人需求错认为勒索。只有在施压、控制和威胁等元素存在时,才属于情感勒索。

  1. Write it all down

写下来

Not sure about whether you are dealing with emotional abuse? Make an effort to write down details related to the daily interactions that you have with your partner. Writing things down can help you see an abusive pattern with ease.
不确定你是否正在经受情感虐待?让自己写下你们的每日互动细节。用文字记录,可以有助于让你轻松识别虐待型行为模式。

Journalling can also help you unravel the manipulative veil your emotional blackmail relationship may have placed on your senses.
A University of Rochester Medical Center study show that journaling improves mental health. But it can also remove all doubts that may be hampering your judgment.
记日记也可以帮助你揭开对方可能用来障你耳目的操控性面纱。
罗彻斯特大学医学院的一项研究显示,记日记可以改善精神健康状态。它也可以帮你移除任何可能在破坏你判断力的疑虑。

  1. Identify what makes you cave in

识别是什么让你屈服

Certain triggers make you comply more easily than others. If you want to change the pattern, you need to know how you contribute to it.
一些因素可能会更易于让你屈服。如果你想要改变这种模式,首先要找到自身纵容原因。

A useful trick is keeping a journal to help you look back and reflect. Often you will see that your love, care or sympathy is used by your abusive partner to get what they want.
一个有效的方法是通过记日记来回顾和反思。通常,你会看到你的爱、关心或同情被虐待方用来达成他们个人目的。

Once you identify your emotional triggers, you must work on not letting them use these on you.
一旦你识别出了你的情感触发因素,你必须开始努力避免对方再利用它们来操控你。

  1. Walkway from their tears and screams

面对他们的眼泪和尖叫时选择走开

Want to send a strong signal? Walk away from your partner while they are using emotional outbursts to blackmail you into doing exactly what they want.
Research shows that once you recognize that someone’s tears are not genuine and are being used to manipulate you, you are less likely to be sympathetic to that person.
想要传递一个强烈的信号?当他们开始用情绪爆发来试图勒索操控你时,选择走开。
研究显示,一旦你识别一个人的眼泪并非真实,而是用来操控你,那么你就不那么可能对其感到同情。

It may seem rude and insensitive but it is a clear way of letting your emotionally abusive partner know that they can’t use your sympathetic side to get whatever they want.
这可能看起来无礼冷漠,但这是让情感勒索方知道他们无法利用你的同情来达成他们目的的一种明确途径。

  1. Buy yourself time

给自己争取时间

A person attempting to manipulate you will push for an immediate answer or action.
Try to stall so you can figure out the possibilities and decipher which to take. Calmly ask for more time and keep repeating if they pressure you.
To learn how to deal with emotional blackmail, do not let the pressure from your emotionally abusive partner make you give the time that you need to make any decision or think clearly.
试图操控你的人会迫使你立即给出答案或行动。
尝试拖延,从而给自己争取时间想明白可能性和代价。冷静要求对方给自己更多时间,如果对方向你施压,则一直重复这一策略。
要学习如何应对情感勒索,则不要迫于对方压力而放弃自己需要用来做决策和清晰思考的时间。

  1. Set strong boundaries

设立坚定界限

Emotional blackmail in marriage or a relationship cannot be dealt with unless you establish clear and strong boundaries that protect your individuality. It can help you combat mental abuse and manipulation.
婚姻或感情关系中的情感勒索往往无法被应对,除非你能够设立可以保护你个人权利的明确、坚定界限。它可以帮助你抵挡精神虐待和操控。

Let your partner know that you won’t tolerate them shouting at you, saying things against your loved ones or threats of physical violence. These are just examples that can help you safeguard your mental health and well-being.
比如,让对方知道你不会容忍他们向你大喊大叫、说你所爱之人的坏话,或威胁对你家暴。这些只是可以帮助你保护个人精神健康和幸福的其中几个例子。

  1. Determine if you are safe

判断你是否安全

If your partner’s behavior is endangering you or your close ones, you need to make sure you are safe first.
Physical abuse is not the only kind of abuse that can harm you. Emotional or mental abuse can significantly impact your mental well-being and confidence.
如果对方行为对你或你的亲近之人构成危险,那么你首先需要确保自己的安全。
肢体虐待并非可以伤害你的唯一一种虐待。情感和或精神虐待也会显著影响你的精神健康和自信。

Whether mental or physical abuse, there are resources you can turn to. Reach out to helplines that can provide you with all the help and resources you need.
无论是精神或肢体虐待,都存在你可以求助的资源。可以尝试拨打那些能够为你提供你所需的所有帮助和资源的援助热线。

  1. Consider counseling

考虑婚姻咨询

Working with a therapist can help you uncover why you are letting this be a part of your life and use this awareness to make more conscious choices.
寻求心理咨询师的帮助,可以帮助你深入了解为什么你会让自己处于这一情形,并让你在意识到这一点后,让你做出更清清醒的选择。

They can also assist you in changing your beliefs about what you deserve and choosing a healthy relationship. A change of this magnitude is never easy, and professional assistance can make it easier to handle.
他们还可以帮助你改变你在关于“自己配得上什么”方面一直持有的理念,以及帮助你选择一段健康感情关系。这种程度的变化从非易事,专业人士的帮助可以让这一切简单一些。

  1. Invite them to change and compromise

请对方改变和妥协

Nothing will change unless you make some changes. The way they are is working for them; otherwise, they wouldn’t be choosing to do so.
一切都将一成不变,除非你做出一些改变。他们的行为方式对他们而言是奏效的,否则,他们也不会如此选择。

If you want to stop emotional blackmail, you need to confront them and set new boundaries. You could start by sharing your impressions, fears, and anticipated consequences: Some helpful sentences you can use in an emotionally abusive relationship:
如果你想要停止对方的情感勒索,你需要对抗他们,并设立新的界限。作为开始步骤,你可以先告知对方你的印象、恐惧和预期后果。在情感虐待型感情关系中你可以使用的一些有帮助的句子包括:

I feel drained, and you are pushing our relationship to the edge.
When I comply with your demands, I feel empty. I need to be treated with respect and have my needs acknowledged too.
I’m not going to tolerate your controlling and manipulative behaviors anymore.
我感到心神俱疲。你正在把我们的感情推向悬崖边缘。
当我服从你的要求时,我感到内心空落落的。我也需要被尊重,也需要你认可我的需求。
我不会再容忍你的控制和操纵行为了。

  1. Consider leaving

考虑离开

A blackmailer has most likely learned, early on, to get their needs satisfied only by these means. If they are willing, they can learn to take accountability, communicate better, and care about your and their needs simultaneously.
勒索者很可能在人生早期只学会了用这些方式来满足他们的需求。如果他们愿意,他们可以学着承担责任、更好地沟通、兼顾你们二者的需求。

However, if they don’t want to change, you need to ask yourself if this is the kind of relationship you want to stay in.
但如果他们不想改变,你需要问自己这是否是自己想要的感情关系类型。

There is a way out
Don’t ignore the symptoms if you feel your partner is unreasonably demanding or controlling.
还是有出路的。
如果对方总是不合理地强求或控制你,那么不要忽视这些迹象。

Check if you feel guilty and blamed for their actions, intimidated, or threatened by them. If you do, you might be experiencing emotional blackmail in a relationship.
审视你是否因为他们的行为而感到内疚和被指责,是否被他们恐吓或威胁。如果答案是肯定的,那么你可能就在经受情感勒索。

When you notice it, there are things you can do to improve the situation. You deserve to feel safe, listened to, and respected.
You can take steps to advocate more for yourself, seek help for yourself and your partner, and negotiate different boundaries.
当你意识到这一点时,是有策略可以帮助你改善这一情形的。你值得感到安全、感到被倾听、感到被尊重。
你可以采取措施去更好地捍卫自己,为自己和对方寻找帮助,并通过协商争取设立新的界限。

作者介绍:郭津萱

最近,#王宝钏挖野菜#,#王宝钏恋爱脑#等话题引起了热议,让大家操碎了心。

IMG_9860.JPG

王宝钏挖野菜的故事中:宰相千金王宝钏深深爱上了穷乞丐薛平贵后,不惜与父亲断绝关系,从宰相千金变成了乞丐婆。在一起没多久后,薛平贵外出打仗,王宝钏苦守寒窑挖了18年的野菜。而最终,薛平贵被西凉王公主看上,娶了公主当了西凉王。

大家纷纷表示要杜绝和远离 “恋爱脑”。

但是也有人说到,爱情本就不是清醒的,群嘲“恋爱脑”是克制情感的自由流动。正如史铁生在《病隙碎笔》中写道:

你要爱就要像一个痴情的恋人那样去爱,像一个忘死的梦者那样去爱,视他人之疑目如盏盏鬼火,大胆去走你的夜路。

这真切地流露出爱的真谛和可贵之处,但不禁让我们陷入一个迷思:

究竟什么是成熟的爱,非常热烈地投入爱情是错的吗到底什么才能被称为“恋爱脑”(即不成熟的爱)

可见,区分真实的爱以及“恋爱脑”是非常有必要的。


01
“恋爱脑”具体有哪些表现

一般来说,我们认为“恋爱脑”指的是一种爱情至上的思维模式,这种模式大部分时候表现为:一谈恋爱就把全部精力和心思放在恋人身上,似乎生活中就只剩下爱情一件事。

从心理学角度来看,“恋爱脑”可能有以下一些具体表现

认知层面:

1)不现实的投射,对伴侣理想化,追求“完美的被爱感”:“TA是那个可以拯救我的人。”“恋爱脑”个体倾向于依靠另一个人来满足对安全感、权力、身份、归属感和意义的渴望。在关系中要求和期待无条件的爱。

2)低自尊,更可能“离不开伴侣”。“恋爱脑”个体害怕被抛弃和放手,会竭尽全力去维系一段关系。

行为层面:

1)“All in 婚恋观”:“想要被爱,就要为TA牺牲付出。”“恋爱脑”个体常表现为一味付出,不求回报。

2)矛盾型依恋:“我很喜欢你,但是当我发现你也喜欢我的时候,我好像就不那么喜欢你了,甚至讨厌你。”矛盾型依恋者的内在安全感和信任感是极其不稳定的。Feeney(1991)发现了消极形式的爱和焦虑-矛盾依恋之间的联系。矛盾型依恋的爱情关系是最不稳定的,更可能将爱情理想化,倾向于用极端的方式获取自己的爱情。

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图|电影《被嫌弃的松子的一生》

情感层面:

1)对伴侣极度“情感依赖”:爱情是TA对某个人的一种依赖,以试图满足自己那些未满足的需要,避免感情上的痛苦或是逃避问题(Schaeffer, 2009)。

2) 当涉及到伴侣时,容易情绪不稳定。研究表明(Alice et al., 2022),爱情成瘾个体在应对抑郁、孤独、内疚、羞耻、焦虑和痛苦等负面情绪时存在困难,TA们会通过寻求伴侣的存在作为主要和/或唯一的应对策略,试图防止或减少无法忍受的情绪,从而导致成瘾行为。

3)无法恰当地识别和表达自己的情绪和感受。爱情成瘾可能与述情障碍有关,这意味着TA对自己的情绪缺乏意识,难以识别和交流。这可能与早期的成长经历有关,爱情成瘾的个体一般会在一个控制欲极强、缺乏感情的环境中成长。


02
当“恋爱至上”进入婚姻,会出现哪些问题

心理学研究者Noller(1996)在文章中强调:不成熟的爱,不利于建立和维持稳定、健康和幸福的家庭关系,而是倾向于关注爱人的短期需求,并忽视对他人的责任和义务。尽管这些不成熟的爱情形式有明确的情感基础,但它们仍然是由想法驱动的。

1)可能会陷入不良的互动模式:

研究表明,丈夫寻求亲密的愿望越强烈,丈夫要求/妻子回避(Husband demand-Wife withdraw)的模式则会越强烈;当妻子寻求亲密的愿望更强烈时,妻子要求/丈夫回避(Wife demand-Husband withdraw)的模式则会更加强烈。

因此,“恋爱脑”个体可能成为婚姻中的追逐者。

这种互动模式具体表现为“一方(追逐者/要求者)批评、不断唠叨、向另一方提出要求,而伴侣(退缩者/回避者)逃避正面接触和沟通。”

在不同国家中的实证研究中,均发现要求/回避的互动模式对关系满意度是有害的(Christensen et al.,2006)。

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图|电影《革命之路》

2)过于卑微,可能会导致夫妻双方的权利不平等。

这不仅会影响到婚姻质量,也有可能在婚姻中催生暴力。Leonhardt等人在2020年发表在Journal of Family Psychology的一项纵向研究表明,夫妻双方认为他们在婚姻中拥有共同的权力,与较高的婚姻质量和依恋安全感有关。

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图|电影《婚姻故事》

3) 对伴侣和关系的理想化可能会经历更多的“幻灭”,从而影响婚姻质量:

由于“恋爱脑”个体对另一半有着不切实际的理想化,以及“无条件的爱”的要求和期待,“恋爱脑”的个体更容易体验到一种不满意感(Zoppolat et al.,2020)。

因此,不成熟的爱恐怕不能为自己、伴侣或培养健康、快乐的孩子提供一个健康的环境。正如弗洛姆在他的作品《爱的艺术》所写的那样,“爱一个人不仅是一种强烈的感情——而且也是一项决定、一种判断、一个诺言”。


03
如何在走进婚姻前拥有更健康的关系模式

在维持关系的过程中,需要平衡爱的三要素:激情、责任、亲密

1)了解自己,重视自己的感受、需求和价值。

要自爱,不要把你全身心的爱,灵魂和力量作为礼物慷慨给予,浪费在不需要和受轻视的地方。——夏洛蒂·勃朗特

  • 关注自己的内在需要和感受,而不是满足一切外在标准、要求和期待。
  • 充分理解自己的能力、弱势、价值观,了解自己的局限,接纳不足,不再渴望自己全知全能。

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图|电影《爱在午夜降临前》

  • 对自己的人生、情绪、行为、想法负起全责,但不把他人的责任扛在肩膀上。
  • 尊重自己身心发出的信号,不超支自己的身心能力,无限制地满足自己与他人的欲望。
  • 尊重他人的意愿,世界不是以自己为中心。

2)了解你的伴侣,将现实和对伴侣适度的理想化结合。

爱,便是理解同自己活法不同、感知方法不同的人,并为之喜悦。——《各种意见与箴言》尼采

  • 一方面,从现实层面,我们需要了解对方真实的性格、生活态度、价值观,从而理解对方的反应和表达。我们要在关系中具有对对方感同身受的能力——有意愿且有能力了解他人的思想、情感和心事,当对方在向你倾诉的同时又不会产生不安全感。
  • 另一方面,理想的关系中充满了相互欣赏和感恩,研究表明(Murray et al.,2011),将伴侣适度“理想化”,可以在一定程度上预测持续的关系满意度。

3)了解成熟的爱和婚姻需要平等:“好的爱情关系像是在跳舞”。

成熟的爱是倚靠不是倚赖,倚靠是在你偶尔疲倦的时候可以靠一下,休息一下,倚赖则是赖着不走了。——蒋勋

Amato等(2007)的研究显示,夫妻们比过去更有可能共同决策,共同决策者比伴侣一方更多地发号施令的人婚姻更幸福、更少争吵、更不容易离婚。

婚姻受益于丈夫和妻子相互寻求帮助,以平等的伙伴的身份在一段关系中感受到平等的权利。把爱人视为平等的伴侣,实际上有助于建立幸福的亲密关系。

4)在关系中,建立健康的人际边界。

就像琴上的弦,虽为同一旋律而振动,但琴与弦也是彼此分开。——选自《论婚姻》 纪伯伦

建立良好的依存关系能够给双方带来持续的情谊和安全感。健康的依存方式是既不过分依赖,也不过分独立,这样的相处方式才能美好、持久。你可以通过训练自己的身份灵活性,来发展出健康的相互依存关系。

成熟的爱需要不断地觉察和成长,我们每个人都在这个议题上有自己成长的方式和成长路径。如果你觉得有困难,可以寻求:(1)个体咨询;(2)伴侣咨询/家庭咨询的帮助。

最后,我想用王小波《爱你就像爱生命》中的一段话结尾

爱情,是乏味人生的一场美好意外。我们曾经都是孤零零的,后来一不小心就被另一个人的磁力吸引。爱的力量那么强健,以至于当这件小小的事情发生的时候,人们灰扑扑的人生一下子开始发光了。

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参考文献

Noller, P. (1996). What is this thing called love? Defining the love that supports marriage and family. Personal Relationships, 3(1), 97-115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00106.x

Schaeffer, B. (2009). Is it love or is it addiction : The book that changed the way we think about romance and intimacy. Hazelden.

Davila, J., & Bradbury, T. N. (2001). Attachment insecurity and the distinction between unhappy spouses who do and do not divorce. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(3), 371-393. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.15.3.371

Salani Alice et al. (2022). Love Addiction, Emotional Dysregulation and Attachment Bonds: A Quantitative Study of 344 Females. Sexual Health & Compulsivity, 29(3-4), pp. 127-148.

John P. Caughlin. (2000). An Individual Difference Explanation of Why Married Couples Engage in the Demand/Withdraw Pattern of Conflict. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 17(4-5), pp. 523-551.

Christensen, A., Eldridge, K., Catta-Preta, A., Lim, V. R., & Santagata, R. (2006). Cross-Cultural Consistency of the Demand/Withdraw Interaction Pattern in Couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(4), 1029-1044. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00311.xLeonhardt, N. D., Willoughby, B. J., Dyer, W. J., & Carroll, J. S. (2020). Longitudinal influence of shared marital power on marital quality and attachment security.Journal of Family Psychology, 34(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000566

Zoppolat, G., Visserman, M. L., & Righetti, F. (2020). A nice surprise: Sacrifice expectations and partner appreciation in romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(2), 450-466. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519867145

Murray, Griffin, D. W., Derrick, J. L., Harris, B., Aloni, M., & Leder, S. (2011). Tempting Fate or Inviting Happiness? Unrealistic Idealization Prevents the Decline of Marital Satisfaction. Psychological Science, 22(5), 619–626. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611403155

策 划:刘祥宇
撰 稿:郭津萱
编 辑:高文洁
美 编:郭雨馨

作者介绍:高彩鑫 安伟

[场景重现]

傍晚,怒气冲冲的妻子大声指责丈夫“你怎么又忘记刷碗了?”,丈夫沉默不语,“你怎么回事,跟你说过多少遍了,你怎么就是记不住!”,妻子越说越生气,内心的火气肉眼可见地不断上窜,旁边的丈夫仍旧一言不发,宛如没有听到,妻子看到丈夫不说话而更加恼怒,声音更加急切,在“火山爆发”的前夕,丈夫仍旧保持沉默,两人就这样陷入了“僵局”。

IMG_9707.PNG

这个场景可能很多人都不会感到陌生,要么是自己经历过,要么是曾经看到过别人经历过

如果你和伴侣之间也用这样的方式沟通,那么这种不恰当的互动模式可能正在严重损害着你们之间的亲密关系。


01
互动模式是什么

研究表明,在影响婚姻质量的关键因素中,夫妻之间的[互动模式]被认为是影响婚姻质量的关键因素(Karney & Bradbury, 1995)

互动模式指的是夫妻双方互相表达感受和信息的方式和过程,包含言语和非言语信息,未经察觉时会成为一种惯用的模式。比如你和伴侣如何说话,在饭桌上如何交换眼神都是你们互动模式的体现。

IMG_9708.JPG

Satir家庭治疗理论也强调了互动的重要性,她认为互动是人应对环境的方式,不适应的互动会导致家庭功能的失调(Satir,1983)。

另外,早期婚姻生活冲突中的不良互动是婚姻质量下降以及离婚的重要预测源(Lavner & Bradbury, 2010)。你们共同塑造的互动模式的重要性可见一斑。


02
我们总结了这些常见的夫妻互动模式

我们总结了以下两大类夫妻互动的行为:

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在消极互动行为中,“指责、防御、轻视、冷若冰霜”被Gottman称为婚姻的“四大预警”行为(Gottman, 1994)。

按照消极行为和积极行为的比例,Gottman将夫妻关系划分为5类,包括:激烈型、温暖型、回避型、敌意型和敌意/分离型。其中,前三类夫妻总体积极行为多于消极行为;后两类夫妻的消极行为多于积极行为。

敌意型夫妻有积极行为,但消极行为远多于积极行为,比如常见通过防御、指责来应对对方的不满;敌意/分离型夫妻的积极行为较少,而消极行为较多,比如可能因为较小的事情便会大加指责对方。

接下来
请大家猜一下哪种类别的夫妻的婚姻会更加稳定呢

IMG_9710.JPG

答案是前三类
相比之下,后两类夫妻关系极不稳定

另外,Christensen 和 Sullaway也对夫妻互动模式进行了研究,并将夫妻互动模式分三类:

建设性沟通

双方均能以积极的方式面对、协商解决问题,比如随着孩子长大,夫妻在教养孩子上感受到了新的困难,同时积极协商应对如何抚养青春期孩子的挑战。

要求/回避沟通(Demand-Withdraw Pattern)

指的是一方积极寻找解决问题的可能性,同时另一方选择回避的方式;这种模式普遍存在于夫妻互动中,特别是妻子要求-丈夫回避的模式,而且在不同文化背景下都一致存在(Christensen et al., 2006)。

双方回避沟通

双方均以回避的方式应对问题,比如伴侣双方对回谁家过年产生了矛盾,但彼此都没有对此发起沟通直接面对问题而是选择了冷战,回避冲突也是夫妻沟通中最普遍的无效模式(陈玉英等,2010)。

IMG_9711.JPG


03
不良互动模式可能是这样发生的

我们也很好奇,开始阶段甜如蜜糖的亲密关系究竟是如何走向崩溃的呢?我们翻看了很多心理学领域的专业资料,发现了这些:

只是出于自我保护

从个体的角度而言,回避沟通或许是一种自我保护策略,试想一下,当一个妻子怒气冲冲地指责伴侣又一次忘记了洗碗,这很可能会唤起丈夫被攻击的体验。

出于自我保护,他选择进入防御状态,回避沟通以自我安抚(Baker, 1980),所以下一次当你的伴侣采用让你难以理解的回应方式时,你可以提醒自己:对方或许只是在进行自我保护

IMG_9712.PNG

因为我们的依恋风格不同

现代依恋理论将成人依恋分为四种类型:安全型、迷恋型、冷漠型、恐惧型(Bartholomew, 1991)。从依恋关系的角度而言,亲密关系里令人痛苦的互动行为可能是对方不安全依恋类型的表现。

比如常见的是妻子作为迷恋型依恋类型,而丈夫是恐惧型依恋类型,在相处中往往容易出现前面提到的普遍的妻子要求-丈夫回避的模式(Christensen et al., 2006),即我们通俗说的“妻子追,丈夫逃”的追逃模式

并且,不同依恋风格的成人在沟通方式上具有差异性。比如安全型依恋风格的个体更倾向于运用问题解决策略,而迷恋型依恋的个体更倾向于强迫和控制自己的伴侣(Pistole, 1989)。

由此可见,如果下一次你和伴侣在沟通模式上有分歧,或许你可以理解为这和彼此不同的依恋类型相关,并从这个角度出发尝试去解决。

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04
有办法改变自己和伴侣的互动模式么

觉察自己的情绪

在夫妻互动中往往因为情绪张力过大且尚未觉察,而容易采取令双方都追悔莫及的互动行为,然后日复一日构成让双方都感到痛苦的互动模式。这时候,最关键的是如何在反应之前能够暂停下来重新选择!而暂停的前提就是我们能够觉察自己那时那刻地感受和想法。

尝试发展积极的互动行为

在能够自我觉察的基础上,夫妻双方可以尝试采取更多的积极互动行为,逐步发展出令双方都感到舒服的互动模式。

值得提出的是,Gottman提出了平衡理论,认为夫妻之间有消极互动行为本身并不可怕,如果能与积极行为达到1:5的比例时,婚姻关系较为稳定(Gottman,1993)。

也就是说:你和伴侣的消极互动行为并不是亲密关系的全部,超量的积极互动行为仍然可以让你们的关系稳固

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寻求专业心理咨询的帮助

如果你和伴侣的互动模式令你们饱受困扰,多次努力调节后仍然效果甚微,或许你们可以考虑寻求专业心理咨询师的帮助,伴侣咨询或家庭咨询可以帮助你们更好地看到彼此的互动模式,进而获得关系的改善,共同迈向建设性沟通的互动模式。

看了这么多/你有什么想说的吗?

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参考文献

Baker, W. H. (1980). Defensiveness in Communication: Its Causes, Effects, and Cures. Journal of Business Communication, 17(3), 33–43. doi: 10.1177/002194368001700304

Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model. Journal of personality and social psychology, 61(2), 226.

Christensen, A., Eldridge, K., Catta Preta, A. B., Lim, V. R., & Santagata, R. ( 2006) . Cross Cultural Con sistency of the Demand/Withdraw Interaction Pattern in Couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68 (4) , 1029-1044.

Gottman, J. M. ( 1994) . What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital process and marital outcomes. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Gottman, & Krokoff, L. J. (1989). Marital Interaction and Satisfaction: A Longitudinal View. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 47–52.

Graber EC, Laurenceau J- P, Miga E, et al. Conflict and love: Predicting newlywed marital outcomes from two interaction contexts. Journal of Family Psychology, 2011, 25(4): 541.

Kanter, J. B., Lavner, J. A., Lannin, D. G., Hilgard, J., & Monk, J. K. (2022). Does couple

communication predict later relationship quality and dissolution? A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84(2), 533-551. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12804

Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995) . The Longitudinal Course of Marital quality and stability: A review of theory method and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118 (1) , 3-34.

Lavner JA, Bradbury TN. Patterns of change in marital satisfaction over the newlywed years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2010, 72(5): 1171-1187 16

Satir, V. (1983). Conjoint Family Therapy. California: Science and Behavior Books.

Sullaway, M., & Christensen, A. (1983). Assessment of dysfunctional interaction patterns in couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45(3), 653-660. https://doi.org/10.2307/351670

陈玉英,耿文秀 & 张磊.(2010).女性视角下的婚姻满意感影响因素——上海报告. 上海精神医学(S1),413-415.

策 划:安 伟
撰 稿:高彩鑫 安 伟
编 辑:崔 琪
美 编:郭雨馨
图源网络 |侵删

为了帮助同学们更好地经营亲密关系,从容地应对亲密关系相处的问题,2022年10月18日19点,清心名家讲坛——原生家庭对亲密关系的影响线上讲座在一片热烈的气氛中开展啦!本次讲座有幸邀请到了北京师范大学心理学部的蔺秀云老师为大家讲解原生家庭对亲密关系的影响。同时出席讲座的有清华大学精密仪器系党委书记白本锋老师、清华大学学生心理发展指导中心主任李焰老师以及学生心理发展指导中心教师钟姝老师,还有来自清华大学各个院系、以及兄弟院校的同学们,讲座由精仪系健康助理董甜主持。

蔺秀云
北京师范大学心理学部教授

蔺秀云,北京师范大学心理学部教授,博士生导师,教育部青年长江学者;资深家庭治疗师,注册系统督导师。中国优生优育协会常务理事兼儿童成长教育委员会主任委员,中国心理学会婚姻家庭心理与咨询专业委员会副主任委员兼秘书;《心理科学》、《心理发展与教育》、《应用心理学》等杂志副主编、编委。主要研究家庭与儿童健康发展、婚姻与家庭治疗、儿童发展心理病理学等。主持20项国家级、省部级课题,并已在国内外学术刊物上发表学术论文140多篇,作为第一作者出版10余部家庭治疗的相关著作。

本次讲座蔺老师主要为大家介绍了亲密关系中的依恋需求、原生家庭对亲密关系的影响以及如何建立良好的亲密关系。下面就由本课代表带大家回顾一下讲座的核心内容吧!

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01

先来看几个例子:

1

莉莉和小强一直因为小强在约会中迟到而争吵,以至于闹分手。在小强看来:“我只是偶尔迟到,甚至有时候没有比约定时间晚,只是比莉莉晚来一会儿。但莉莉却说我总是迟到。”在莉莉看来:“他总是不在乎我,总是让我失望,还总是找理由。”

2

女孩说:我男朋友一点也不信任我。每当我跟朋友,尤其是和一些男同学出去玩,他就不停给我打电话。实际也没什么事儿,我那些朋友他也都认识!回家以后还阴阳怪气的,故意找茬,所以总是吵架。一个男人怎么那么心胸狭窄,不信任我,让我脸往哪搁呀!

3

“你妈让你做什么你就做什么!”“我的事情你总是忘记!”“你看别人的男朋友都陪着,就我没人陪!”“跟我在一起的时候,你一副不高兴的样子,跟别人在一起的时候总是笑脸相迎!”


Q大家在亲密关系中可能也会遇到类似的情况。产生这些矛盾的原因是什么呢

有的同学认为这与价值观、认知行为方式、生活习惯有很大关系。蔺老师说:亲密关系中最核心的需求是依恋需求,也就是说,“你到底有没有把我放在心上?”的问题。出现例子中的矛盾其实是因为一方的依恋需求没有得到满足。

依恋一般被定义为幼儿和照顾者(一般为父母)之间存在的一种特殊的感情关系。不过依恋的对象是可以转移的。随着我们长大,我们会把依恋对象转移到同伴身上,比如初中高中阶段就会跟同学朋友很亲密。再大一些,到了大学、研究生乃至后面迈入工作岗位,在建立了亲密关系之后,我们就会把依恋的对象转移到伴侣或者是配偶身上。建立亲密关系后,我们会把对方作为依恋需求的满足对象。

依恋需求中最重要的一条是被爱的需求。其次还有希望对方接纳我们、理解我们。希望有安全感、有公平感、被重视、被赞赏、被认可、被尊重、被保护,被安抚、被呵护、被支持……

当这些需求没有被满足时就会产生矛盾和冲突。所以下一次女(男)朋友生气了,我们可以从依恋需求的角度去分析,对方是哪一项需求没有被满足,然后对症下药进行补救。


Q&A

问:例1中的莉莉为什么生气呢?

答1:因为她有时间观念!(回答错误!不听讲的到教室后面罚站!)

答2:因为她觉得男朋友迟到是不够在乎她,被重视的需求没有得到满足!(回答正确!)

问:例2中的男朋友为什么总是打电话呢?

答1:因为他电话费是包月的!(回答错误-.-)

答2:因为他内心OS:你去见朋友的时候你那么高兴,你留下我一个人多寂寞,你在高兴的时候,你有没有想起我在家里很孤单。你那么漂亮,要是跟他们交往多了,变心了不要我了怎么办。

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课代表总结:
如果伴侣之间有冲突了,去看看对方哪个依恋需求没有被满足,对方其实不完全是在指责我们


02

Q:依恋这么有破坏力,那我们还能依恋吗?

当然可以!!!

依恋类型可以分为两种:安全依恋不安全依恋。安全依恋是参与其中,处变不惊,处理、面对问题。不安全依恋则是超过负荷、情绪激动、认知功能失调、本能反射性地回应。

不安全依恋类型的两种本能回应方式:

其一是反击,觉得对方不尊重我,那我就不尊重对方,然后激怒、指责、攻击对方。

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其二是麻木,觉得对方忽视我,那我也忽视对方,跟对方冷战,想让对方认识到自己的错误进而道歉。而实际上对方可能根本不知道我们生气的原因。

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这两种处理方式都会破坏亲密关系!

正确的处理方式

是理解对方的不满意,分析对方没有被满足的依恋需求,进而回应对方的依恋需求,努力形成安全依恋


03

依恋类型是否安全与原生家庭的影响密切相关!

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1.孩子会自然而然地学习父母的互动模式

父母对待孩子的方式影响孩子的依恋类型,一些不良的互动模式可能会被继承下来,对亲密关系产生负面影响。

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  1. 二元关系会对依恋关系产生负面影响

比如父母之间有矛盾,妈妈很多时候会是弱势的一方,孩子与妈妈组成联盟去对抗爸爸,即建立了二元关系。在这种情况下,孩子在恋爱中可能会抛不开妈妈的影响。在恋爱关系中孩子如果持续地不能够把对方放在第一位的话,容易使对方产生不受重视的感受,亲密关系就会被干扰。

  1. 其他的一些因素

原生家庭太不温暖——逃到不经思考和选择的关系中;

原生家庭太忽略——对伴侣需求多,对方无法提供满足;

原生家庭拒绝否定——特别害怕在亲密关系中拒绝;

原生家庭太溺爱——永远想当孩子、公主、王子;

家庭暴力、过于控制——心理障碍(抑郁);

父母个人有问题——排斥与父母任何相似的特点;

父母太完美——按照父母的标准寻找;

父母之间没有冲突——不能接纳冲突。

所以原生家庭完不完美都可能会出现问题……

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那么,我们该怎么办呢?

只有在原生家庭中把问题解决了

才能建立良好的亲密关系吗?

不一定!

我们要从原生家庭中分化出来!

进行自我分化和分化情绪与理智。

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自我分化简单来说就是要做自己。我们都是独立的人,有着独立的人格。比如对方迟到了,我不觉得这是对方不尊重我,而是能够理解对方有自己的事情,这就是能够把自己跟对方做一个很好的分化。再比如,听到一些惹自己生气的话就一直生气,做事做不好也经常会说:“都是让你给气的!”这就是没有独立于他人的表现,总是把对方的做法与自己的情绪联系起来。

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分化情绪与理智要将自己的想法与客观存在的事实区分开。比如对方来晚了,他的目的肯定不是为了忽略我。对方作为我的恋人,出来约会肯定不是为了让我难受的。在这种合理的理智的分析之后,可以询问一下对方今天为什么来晚了?是发生了什么事情吗?并且多换位思考,想想对方是怎么想的。

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最后,蔺老师给出了如何从原生家庭中分化出来,更好地经营亲密关系的几点建议:

第一要理解父母不是万能的。父母在他们的环境和他们的认知范围内给孩子提供了有限的家庭环境,但他们不是万能的,他们也肯定会有做不到、做不好的地方。换句话说,我们要理解父母只是万千世界当中的两个普通人,每个人的原生家庭可能都有这样或那样的问题。要理解他们的局限性,不能总是纠结着父母的某些做法影响了自己。

第二是在亲密关系中,我们要积极地去认识对方,出现问题时要积极解决问题。婚姻之中大家都会有或多或少的问题,良好的婚姻关系不是因为没有问题而是因为有足够的能力去解决问题。

第三就是处理好自己和对方的依恋需求。要将自己更多的精力放在亲密关系中,提高情感投入。正如之前提到的,亲密关系中冲突的来源是依恋需求没有得到满足,那我们就多投入多关心。更进一步地,我们要学会清楚地正面地表达自己的依恋需求。比如清楚地说明我需要你的陪伴,我希望你在一周的哪些时间来陪我,这样的话我就会觉得你是在意我的。而不是总是反问和指责,你怎么就不陪我,别人都有男(女)朋友...这种指责的表达只能让对方离我们越来越远。

第四是要理解彼此的差异。有的时候我们认为对方不重视我们,不在意我们,对方没有办法按照我们的想法行动时,可能是因为对方的感知与我们有出入。人与人的想法是不同的,我们需要理解彼此的差异,不要将对方的一些做法一味地上升高度。比如对方来晚了一次就是不把我放在心上,跟朋友出去玩一次就是要甩了我等等,这些想法也是不可取的。

最后就是要多倾听。每个人都有被倾听的需求,多倾听对方,多回应对方。蔺老师提到在做心理咨询的时候,最有效的方法不是去劝解,而是倾听。


结语

以上就是本次讲座的全部内容啦,感谢蔺老师的精彩分享!感谢同学们的大力支持!