Love Skills. Linda Carroll
big a deal. My partner just takes it too personally.
Stage Four: The Decision
Score | |
1.I’m completely worn down from all of our fighting and bickering. | ______ |
2.I barely recall why we fell in love. | ______ |
3.I just can’t do this anymore; something has to change. | ______ |
4.The only times I have strong emotions toward my partner are when we’re arguing or when I’m emotionally breaking down. | ______ |
5.I speak critically of my partner to friends, family, and sometimes even new acquaintances. | ______ |
6.I feel that the cons of staying in this relationship outweigh the pros now. | ______ |
7.I fantasize about being single or being in a happy relationship with someone else. | ______ |
8.I play out and rehearse our “breakup talk” in my head. | ______ |
9.I’ve never been lonelier, even though I’m in a relationship. | ______ |
10.There are times I don’t even like my partner, and I wonder if that will become the new norm. | ______ |
11.Most things I’d prefer to do alone or with a friend rather than with my partner, even important stuff like making big purchases or getting career advice. | ______ |
12.I’m not sure what the next step in our relationship is, and to be honest, I’m not sure I care. Whatever it is, it just needs to happen soon. | ______ |
13.When I see other people in happy, healthy relationships, it makes me sad. It reminds me that mine is neither happy nor healthy. | ______ |
14.I can’t help but look for the flaws in my partner. I never give my partner the benefit of the doubt, and I’m not sure he or she even deserves it. | ______ |
15.I care about my partner, but sometimes I’m indifferent to the deeper things we shared. | ______ |
16.I think I lost myself in this relationship. I need to be my own person again rather than just being part of a couple. | ______ |
17.We don’t even argue with passion anymore. We just give up. | ______ |
18.Going to events or social gatherings together feels like a facade; we tend to take part in separate conversations. | ______ |
19.Most of our conversations are essentially small talk now — that is, if we’re talking at all. | ______ |
20.The tension and animosity in our home is almost palpable. I feel weighed down in my own house. | ______ |
TOTAL SCORE | ______ |
Stage Five: Wholehearted Love
Score | |
1.I recognize that my partner and I are separate people and that we have to accept each other for who we are. | ______ |
2.I’m almost always open to having difficult conversations about “us.” | ______ |
3.When we talk, I actively listen and seek to understand my partner’s point of view, even if I don’t fully agree with it. | ______ |
4.Silences between us aren’t filled with tension, nor do they necessarily indicate an issue between us. | ______ |
5.I’m comfortable being myself around my partner. | ______ |
6.My self-worth isn’t determined by my relationship. | ______ |
7.I acknowledge that I may have idealized love in the past, but now I see that love is more than passion, sex, and novelty. Love is also about kindness, companionship, and collaboration. | ______ |
8.I realize that our relationship will continue to ebb and flow. Someday we’ll have an argument again, but what matters is how we approach and handle the argument. | ______ |
9.We’ve had very tough times together, but I now see that we were able |