Why Relationships Matter

Take our Can You Spot Red Flags In A Relationship?

Find a therapist to strengthen relationships

Research shows contempt is the biggest predictor for divorce.

Developing a climate of appreciation can offset the corrosive effects of contempt.

Seeing one's partner doing well in a role outside the relationship can enhance appreciation and admiration.

You may be familiar with the motto, “Familiarity breeds contempt." But what does contempt look like in a couple's relationship?

It’s not simply criticism, which is corrosive in and of itself. Contempt involves treating others with disrespect, ridicule, mocking them with sarcasm, calling them names, and eye-rolling. While criticism may attack a partner’s character, contempt assumes a position of moral superiority over them: “I am superior. You are inferior, dumb, unimportant.” The target of contempt is made to feel despised and........

© Psychology Today