"If you are in an unhealthy marriage that has been dysfunctional for years, it may be hard to accept the reality that your marriage and/or your spouse is not going to change. You've invested time and energy into this relationship and don't want to give up now. Maybe you keep thinking that once life settles down, or you get that new job, or the kids are more independent, then things will get better."
"The sunk-cost fallacy is a concept that refers to staying in a situation because of the time and effort you've invested in the past, even when that situation no longer serves you. Often, people remain in unhappy marriages simply because they've been together for so long. Many women worry that ending a marriage means the time they invested in it was wasted. But your marriage was not a waste-it served a purpose, even if only for a period of time."
Initiating divorce can be painful but sometimes becomes necessary when a marriage remains unhealthy and unchanging. Remaining in a dysfunctional marriage often stems from the sunk-cost fallacy and hopes that future circumstances will repair the relationship. Significant improvement requires both partners to recognize the problem and commit to change; unilateral effort rarely produces lasting results. Chronic unhealthy relationships exact psychological and physical tolls. Letting go of hope that the marriage will improve is a required step in accepting separation. Prior investments in time and energy do not obligate continuation when the relationship no longer serves either partner's well-being.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]