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Beware of Frankensteining in a Relationship

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14.06.2026

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Frankensteining is one-sidedly trying to change your partner into what you would like them to be.

It can be conscious or unconscious. You can even convince yourself that you are simply being supportive

Frankensteining can be a sign that you are with the wrong person or are trying to control your partner.

Recognize Frankensteining as soon as possible and then have a frank, open talk with your partner about it.

Typically, you don't want your partner to be a monster, but...welcome to Frankensteining. It's a new trending-on-social-media term to describe a longtime phenomenon in dating and relationships. It's when you one-sidedly try to change your partner into something that he or she is not, based simply on who and what you would like your partner to be.

Frankensteining Comes from the Frankenstein Stories

The term comes from Dr. Frankenstein, the mad scientist who created a monster from assembled parts in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. Frankenstein and his monster subsequently starred in a slew of movies, nearly all of which were not exactly rom-coms. In the 1931 film Frankenstein, the monster didn't turn out to be what Dr. Frankenstein wanted. The monster ended up going on a rampage, killing a bunch of people before being trapped by the villagers in a windmill, which the villagers then set afire, burning the monster alive or perhaps a-dead. That's typically not what you want to happen in a relationship.

What is Frankensteining?

Frankensteining is when you try to morph the appearance,........

© Psychology Today