Introduction
Understanding the intricacies of power dynamics within relationships is crucial. Gendered behavior often shapes these dynamics, with wives frequently initiating conflictual discussions while husbands may avoid these conversations. Yet, this doesn’t signify dysfunction; even contented marriages can experience such dynamics. Dr. John Gottman’s research emphasizes that men who accept their wives’ influence tend to have happier marriages and lower divorce rates compared to those who resist. This resistance doesn’t just erode power; it diminishes trust and respect within the relationship. The profound implications of these power struggles reach beyond decision-making, impacting the relationship’s core.
Normalizing Marital Fighting
Understanding power dynamics in relationships is crucial, and it’s fascinating how gendered behavior can shape these dynamics. Research highlights an interesting trend: in many cases, it’s the wives who initiate conflictual discussions, while husbands often sidestep these conversations. This isn’t necessarily a sign of a dysfunctional relationship; even happy marriages can have these dynamics at play.
Male Partners and Influence
Dr. John Gottman’s research is illuminating in this regard. He found that men who are open to being influenced by their wives tend to experience happier marriages and are less likely to divorce compared to those who resist their partner’s influence. It’s a significant finding, suggesting that a key aspect of marital satisfaction lies in this willingness to share and accept influence within the relationship.
The stats are striking: men who resist their wives’ influence have a staggering 81% chance of their marriage ending in divorce. It’s not just about power; it’s about the erosion of influence, respect, and trust within the relationship. These power struggles can have far-reaching implications, reaching beyond just decision-making and impacting the core foundations of the relationship itself.
Respect vs Influence
Gottman’s research takes a balanced view, highlighting that respect is a two-way street in relationships. He emphasizes the importance of wives treating their husbands with respect. Surprisingly, even in troubled marriages, most wives are open to hearing their husbands out and accepting their influence.
However, there’s a stumbling block rooted in societal norms – what some call the “Guy Code.” Men are often raised to prize independence, self-reliance, and emotional restraint. For husbands who resist accepting their partner’s influence, there’s a deep-seated fear of losing their sense of control and autonomy within the relationship. This fear of losing power ironically leads to a loss of influence for them. This stalemate often leads to emotional gridlock, stalling progress and understanding in the relationship.
Interestingly, men who can effectively manage their emotions and self-regulate tend to have a greater capacity for active listening, understanding their partner’s perspective, and expressing empathy. It’s not about suppressing emotions but rather about navigating them in a way that facilitates mutual understanding and connection.
The crux seems to lie in reaching a point where both partners respect each other’s viewpoints and genuinely comprehend each other’s needs. This understanding paves the way to sidestep emotional gridlock, fostering a healthier dynamic within the relationship.
Winning Vs Collaboration
The concept of “we-ness” and solidarity takes precedence over merely “winning” an argument within a relationship. Gottman introduces an intriguing approach termed the “yield to win” strategy, drawing parallels to the principles of judo. Here, the energy your partner invests in seeking influence or validation becomes the pathway through which influence and validation are reciprocated.
Gottman’s insight goes deeper, emphasizing the significance of acknowledging and respecting each other’s deepest hopes and dreams as a linchpin in preserving and enhancing a marriage. An emotionally intelligent husband operates on the premise of “yielding to win.” He doesn’t view conflict as a zero-sum game with a clear winner and loser. Instead, he honors and values his wife’s perspective, even if it differs from his own. Understanding precedes influence in his playbook, recognizing that overpowering a partner is ultimately a form of losing within the relationship.
Interestingly, Gottman noted a trend in his earlier research where a significant portion of American men actively resisted accepting influence from their wives (60% of men according to his research). However, there’s a shift on the horizon. He expressed a need to delve deeper into the issue, particularly with a focus on the Millennial generation of husbands. More recent studies indicate a positive shift: Millennial men seem to be exhibiting greater emotional intelligence by being more open to accepting influence from their partners compared to previous generations. This suggests an evolving landscape where attitudes towards power and influence within relationships might be changing for the better.
Validation, Decision-making & Power-sharing
Gottman’s research emphasizes the importance of husbands who genuinely respect and validate their wives, as they are more inclined to share power and decision-making within the relationship. It’s a key insight: husbands who can maintain a composed demeanor, show attentiveness to their partner, and accept their partner’s influence tend to experience greater marital satisfaction.
Interestingly, Gottman’s findings offer guidance on handling conflicts, especially when a wife expresses anger. He suggests that husbands shouldn’t escalate the conflict, emphasizing a crucial 5-second window where self-regulation becomes a vital skill. This is because, in these situations, wives often attempt to either tone down their emotions or match their partner’s emotional intensity.
In the realm of power struggles within relationships, Gottman introduces the concept of the Four Horsemen—criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. These behaviors typically emerge as the couple’s space collapses under the weight of conflict. The Four Horsemen are antithetical to accepting influence and often pave the way for ongoing gridlock within the marriage.
When a husband fails to take those crucial 5 seconds to steady himself and instead employs the Four Horsemen to counter his partner’s argument, it ends up damaging the intimate bond between them. However, men who can maintain composure, seek common ground, and avoid these destructive behaviors tend to have healthier conflicts and ultimately happier marriages.
While it’s essential for both partners to steer clear of these toxic behaviors, research underscores that men have a propensity to escalate negativity during conflicts. This habitual escalation damages marriages in over 80% of cases. Recognizing and curbing these tendencies becomes imperative for fostering a healthier relationship dynamic.
Religious Belief and Collaborative Power Sharing
The notion of husbands who openly refuse to accept influence from their wives, citing religious conviction as a reason to maintain control within their marriages, raises intriguing questions. Some men assert that their religious beliefs dictate their role as the ultimate authority in their households. However, beneath this surface lies a deeper truth: the concept of shared decision-making power in marriage is a relatively recent development, emerging from significant social changes.
Gottman delved into studying religious couples who staunchly adhere to the belief that the husband should serve as the family’s head. Comparatively, he also examined couples who embrace more egalitarian principles within their relationships. Surprisingly, in both scenarios, the linchpin was the husband’s emotional intelligence.
The pivotal factor wasn’t necessarily the specific belief system but rather the husband’s capacity to honor and respect his wife, as well as his willingness to accept her influence. Even in relationships where the wife acknowledges the husband’s authority as the family’s head, she still expects and deserves to be respected and valued within the partnership. This emphasizes the essence of mutual respect and understanding, transcending the particular belief systems upheld within the relationship.
He tells the story of a friend of his, a highly religious man, who would never make an important decision without the wisdom and insight of his wife, and she feels the same way. Mutual respect, not externalized authority, appear crucial.
The Cascade Effect of a Husband’s Refusal to Accept Influence
When a husband steadfastly refuses to accept influence, it often triggers a negative response from his wife. This then sets off a cycle of escalating reactions. This back-and-forth of attack and defense generates an enduring sense of negativity within the relationship.
In couples therapy, one of the focal points is teaching strategies for developing self-regulation. Mastering self-regulation creates a space for co-regulation and fosters more open communication between partners. It’s crucial to note that accepting influence doesn’t imply suppressing negative emotions towards one’s spouse. Marriages, despite conflicts, can display remarkable resilience and conflict itself doesn’t necessarily hinder intimacy.
Divorce Rate and Refusal to Accept Influence
However, when a husband resists accepting influence, the likelihood of divorce quadruples. Trying to control a partner can backfire, especially when the partner has numerous passive-aggressive responses in their arsenal. As one woman told me: “He may have a handful of ways to control me, but I have hundreds of passive-aggressive moves to thwart him.”
On the flip side, in relationships where power is shared and influence is embraced, there’s room for compromise and adaptable solutions. These couples demonstrate an ability to make repair attempts and effectively de-escalate conflicts.
Encouragingly, Gottman’s recent data shows a positive trend: husbands are showing increasing emotional intelligence. Men in studies are showing a marking a significant improvement in emotional intelligence compared to previous research. This shift toward greater emotional intelligence among husbands signifies a potentially brighter landscape for navigating power dynamics and conflict resolution within relationships.
Cultural Shifts
More than 60% of married women are in the workforce now, shifting the dynamics within households. The economic control of a household is no longer solely within the domain of husbands, and for many, wives have taken the role of primary breadwinner. In essence, it’s not just a man’s world anymore—it hasn’t been for nearly half a century.
There’s a noticeable cognitive dissonance among many men who have been conditioned for a relational world that is evolving and changing. Traditionally, a mantle of responsibility and entitlement has been passed down from father to son across generations. However, the evolving landscape suggests that men are beginning to recognize the need to adapt. They’re realizing that embracing a world where accepting influence from their wives is a crucial step in social evolution.
Closing Thoughts
These findings challenge the traditional notion of power dynamics. Gottman’s research underscores the reciprocity of respect in relationships, highlighting the societal pressure men face concerning independence and control. Emotional intelligence emerges as a key factor: men adept at regulating emotions tend to foster better understanding and connection within the relationship. The crux lies in mutual respect and understanding, steering clear of emotional gridlock and fostering a healthier dynamic within the relationship.
The evolving landscape of relationships reflects a shifting culture where women’s roles in the workforce impact household dynamics. This shift challenges traditional roles, urging men to adapt. Accepting influence from wives is increasingly recognized as an integral part of this evolving social fabric. This cultural shift indicates a brighter horizon for relationships, where mutual respect and shared power lead the way to healthier and more harmonious unions.
Research tells us that over 80% of conflictual marital discussions are initiated by wives
How many conflictual discussions are initiated by girlfriends?
Why is there such a discrepancy in this behavior?
What changes in a woman before and aftrre marriage where she thinks making this drama is ok? Is it perhaps a shift in the power dynamic?
Could this increase in drama and disrespect have any relation to the decrease in sex and gratitude/appreciation?
Most women either attempt to tone it down or match their husbands level of emotion.
Do, “most women” not fall under the heading of nagging, and criticizing?
was to not escalate the conflict. There is a critical 5-second window where self-regulation for a husband is an important skill.
Men should exercise emotional regulation , females can be angry and rude, over reacting to the spouse in their head.
Those studies incorporate gender bias it appears, and blame men for other people’s bad behavior.
Is this really the premise and suggested solution to ” making marriage work” for “science based” therapy?
You write:
“Research tells us that over 80% of conflictual marital discussions are initiated by wives
How many conflictual discussions are initiated by girlfriends?
Why is there such a discrepancy in this behavior?”
Can you quote the study you’re referring to here? I don’t know that there is a discrepancy, as I’ve worked clinically with single couples and this pattern seems to continue to hold.
You also say that bringing up conflict reflects “drama and disrespect.” It does not. In fact, the level of conflict has no bearing on marital outcome. Some happy couples fight a lot. Some never do. Some unhappy couples fight a lot. Some never do. And disrespectful fighting is in fact almost always a sign of marital problems.
You write: “Do, “most women” not fall under the heading of nagging, and criticizing?”
It’s a good question. Science has provided the answer, and as a regular reader of the blog, you probably know the answer. Nagging and criticizing isn’t the same as complaining. In fact, criticism is the opposite of complaining. Criticism puts the problem IN your partner whereas complaining is not only respectful, but encourages mutual problem solving.
You write: “Men should exercise emotional regulation, females can be angry and rude, overreacting to the spouse in their head.”
These would be best put in the form of a question, but anyway, here goes: Anger has no indication of problems in an intimate relationship. It’s how that anger is expressed. Rudeness isn’t an appropriate way to express anger. Living with the “partner in your head” is often an occupational hazard in being in an intimate relationship, particularly for people who have been traumatized, but the challenge is to stop that. The challenge is to question the assumptions you are making about the person who you are in relationship with and ASK, not be snarky or rude. And emotional regulation is a task for both men and women.
The gender difference is that men physiologically get flooded faster than woman and stay flooded longer. That’s not “men bashing.” It’s a consistent physiological and scientific finding over the past 50 years.
There is a difference between “gender bias” and “gendered behavior.” Some behavior simply occurs more often in one gender than another. “More often” doesn’t mean “only.” Men complain 20% of the time and some men complain much more than that. They do have to learn to do it without a snarky attitude, or contempt (“You’re such an idiot!) just as women do.
Men stonewall 85% of the time, but that leaves 15% of women who do and it’s a very bad sign clinically.
As outlined in this article, women we think of as the “keepers” of the relationship, and when they complain effectively, they are trying to keep connection or resolve conflict. When they do it poorly, they only cause more resentments and problems. When they do it well, they make it easier for men to respond in kind and accept their influence. However, men have a role too. If men simply refuse to accept any of the complaints offered (“Hey, honey, can you put the mail in the box instead of on the table? It will make setting the table easier.” “No, if you want that done, do it yourself!”) they escalate the fight.
Escalation, not fighting, is the enemy of a happy relationship.
This isn’t “male-bashing.” It’s a collaboration and cooperation where goodwill is assumed. Men have a role. Women have a role. Both cooperate together, even while these assumed roles are different, according to the research.
Ndbbm, thanks for contributing to this blog. I think you would find Gottman’s work comforting once you studied it more carefully. It’s not full of the bias you fear. He has a lot of books for the general public you can find locally. I hope you do because you are clearly interested and fearful that his work is out to prove men to be the bad guys. That’s simply not the case.
Dr. K