Why Relationships Matter

Take our Can You Spot Red Flags In A Relationship?

Find a therapist to strengthen relationships

Needy individuals often make their partners feel burdened and used.

Their partners often develop feelings of resentment and or burnout.

This challenges the relationship and may end it.

Compassionate rebalancing of asymmetrical relationships can make them more gratifying and more stable.

Healthy individuals covet their independence. They place minimal burden on their partners because they prefer to do things for themselves. Other individuals prefer to have their partners serve and take care of them. Dependent individuals often place a persistent burden on their partners, who eventually either develop resentment or burn out. This process compromises relationship quality and threatens its survival. If your partner is very needy and you feel resentment or burnout, you can act now to avoid disintegrating the relationship. Appropriate, consistent, and compassionate boundaries will improve relationship quality and increase durability.

People can find themselves in asymmetrical relationships. This occurs when one partner gives while the other takes—disproportionately. This asymmetry violates a core concept of partnership: equality.

Partners of persistently needy people tend to develop resentment, or feel exploited and taken advantage of. They often feel their........

© Psychology Today