Great Expectations?
A recent feature in The Guardian has explored the results of high expectations within relationships.
With everyone feeling a little doom and gloom about the recession is it any wonder that we are all feeling a little negative about our politics, our jobs, money etc? So it’s good that we try to inject some hope and high expectations into things that we do have a portion of control over, such as our relationships. However, can high expectations just lead us down a road of disappointment? In the words of Alexander Pope who believed it was better not to have expectations. “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed,”
45% of marriages end in divorce and it is true that unrealistic expectations of what a good marriage might be is a huge contributing factor, but people need to understand that it isn’t all just going to be plain sailing, yet research shows that if you expect it to be great, it’s more likely to be.
High expectations in a relationship have to be reachable. You have to be prepared to compromise and behave in a way, which allows you to achieve relationship goals. If you are under the impression that most couples never argue, spend all their free time together and have sex multiple times a day then you have been lead on a merry dance. If however, you believe your partner will agree with you on important things in life, always have time for you when you really need it and still want to have sex with you after years of being together then you’ll feel real satisfaction.