David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
We All Married The Wrong Person
by Lori Lowe
Retrieved September 18, 2010
Couples in crisis often reach the point where they decide they are just two poorly matched people. This precedes the decision to leave the relationship and go in search of that ?right person.? Unfortunately, the odds of a successful marriage go down for each attempt at a new marriage. Psychiatrist and author of The Secrets of Happily Married Men and The Secrets of Happily Married Women and The Secrets of Happy Families, Scott Haltzman, MD, says in truth, they are correct; we all married the wrong person. I found his comments from TV interviews so intriguing that I requested an interview with him to delve into the topic.
Dr. Haltzman says even if we think we know a person well when we marry them, we are temporarily blinded by our love, which tends to minimize or ignore attributes that would make the relationship complicated or downright difficult. In addition, both individuals bring different expectations to the marriage, and we change individually and as a couple over time. No one gets a guarantee of marrying the right person, says Dr. Haltzman, so you should assume you married the wrong person. That doesn?t mean your marriage can?t be successful, however.
?Most of us spend a lot of time filtering through possible mates in hopes that we will end up with the right match. Some people believe it?s an issue of finding a soul mate ? the one true partner. Whether or not you enter into marriage believing your partner is THE one, you certainly believe he or she is A right person for you,? says Dr. Haltzman.
He explains that if the success of a marriage were based on making the right choice, then those who carefully chose a good match would continue to sustain positive feelings the majority of the time, and over a long period. The theory would be proven correct that choosing well leads to success. ?But the divorce rate in and of itself stands as a great testament to the fallacy of that theory,? says Dr. Haltzman. Even the couples who remain married don?t describe themselves as completely happy with each other, he adds, but rather committed to one another.
?If we believe we must find the right person to marry, then the course of our marriage becomes a constant test to see if we were correct in that choice,? says Dr. Haltzman, adding that today?s culture does not support standing by our promises. Instead, he says we receive the repeated message, ?You deserve the best.? These attitudes contribute to marital dissatisfaction, he says.
Dr. Haltzman shared some research with me about the negative effects in our consumer society of having too many choices?which may lead to increased expectations and lower satisfaction.
A book called The Choice Paradox by Barry Schwartz shares research that flies in the face of conventional wisdom: people are happier with the choices they make when there are relatively few choices from which to choose. With too many choices, we can become overburdened and regretful and constantly question our decision. Today, individuals may feel they have many choices of mates, and fear lost opportunities with potential ?right? partners. This may happen even after a person is married, as he or she questions the decision to marry with each bump in the road.
?My basic philosophy is we have to start with the premise when we choose our partner that we aren?t choosing with all the knowledge and information about them,? says Dr. Haltzman. ?However, outside of the extreme scenarios of domestic violence, chronic substance abuse, or the inability to remain sexually faithful?which are good arguments for marrying the wrong person on a huge scale, and where it is unhealthy or unsafe to remain married?we need to say, ?This is the person I chose, and I need to find a way to develop a sense of closeness with this person for who he or she really is and not how I fantasize them to be.??
That choice to work on the relationship can lead to a more profound, meaningful experience together. Dr. Haltzman offers the following tips to help us reconnect or improve our bond:
Finally, he advises, ?Have the attitude that this is the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, so you must find a way to make it work instead of always looking for the back door.?
For more information on Dr. Haltzman or his books, visit DrScott.com or 365Reasons.com.
by Lori Lowe
Retrieved September 18, 2010
Couples in crisis often reach the point where they decide they are just two poorly matched people. This precedes the decision to leave the relationship and go in search of that ?right person.? Unfortunately, the odds of a successful marriage go down for each attempt at a new marriage. Psychiatrist and author of The Secrets of Happily Married Men and The Secrets of Happily Married Women and The Secrets of Happy Families, Scott Haltzman, MD, says in truth, they are correct; we all married the wrong person. I found his comments from TV interviews so intriguing that I requested an interview with him to delve into the topic.
Dr. Haltzman says even if we think we know a person well when we marry them, we are temporarily blinded by our love, which tends to minimize or ignore attributes that would make the relationship complicated or downright difficult. In addition, both individuals bring different expectations to the marriage, and we change individually and as a couple over time. No one gets a guarantee of marrying the right person, says Dr. Haltzman, so you should assume you married the wrong person. That doesn?t mean your marriage can?t be successful, however.
?Most of us spend a lot of time filtering through possible mates in hopes that we will end up with the right match. Some people believe it?s an issue of finding a soul mate ? the one true partner. Whether or not you enter into marriage believing your partner is THE one, you certainly believe he or she is A right person for you,? says Dr. Haltzman.
He explains that if the success of a marriage were based on making the right choice, then those who carefully chose a good match would continue to sustain positive feelings the majority of the time, and over a long period. The theory would be proven correct that choosing well leads to success. ?But the divorce rate in and of itself stands as a great testament to the fallacy of that theory,? says Dr. Haltzman. Even the couples who remain married don?t describe themselves as completely happy with each other, he adds, but rather committed to one another.
?If we believe we must find the right person to marry, then the course of our marriage becomes a constant test to see if we were correct in that choice,? says Dr. Haltzman, adding that today?s culture does not support standing by our promises. Instead, he says we receive the repeated message, ?You deserve the best.? These attitudes contribute to marital dissatisfaction, he says.
Dr. Haltzman shared some research with me about the negative effects in our consumer society of having too many choices?which may lead to increased expectations and lower satisfaction.
A book called The Choice Paradox by Barry Schwartz shares research that flies in the face of conventional wisdom: people are happier with the choices they make when there are relatively few choices from which to choose. With too many choices, we can become overburdened and regretful and constantly question our decision. Today, individuals may feel they have many choices of mates, and fear lost opportunities with potential ?right? partners. This may happen even after a person is married, as he or she questions the decision to marry with each bump in the road.
?My basic philosophy is we have to start with the premise when we choose our partner that we aren?t choosing with all the knowledge and information about them,? says Dr. Haltzman. ?However, outside of the extreme scenarios of domestic violence, chronic substance abuse, or the inability to remain sexually faithful?which are good arguments for marrying the wrong person on a huge scale, and where it is unhealthy or unsafe to remain married?we need to say, ?This is the person I chose, and I need to find a way to develop a sense of closeness with this person for who he or she really is and not how I fantasize them to be.??
That choice to work on the relationship can lead to a more profound, meaningful experience together. Dr. Haltzman offers the following tips to help us reconnect or improve our bond:
- Respect your mate for his/her positive qualities, even when they have some important negative ones.
- Be the right person, instead of looking for the right person.
- Be a loving person, instead of waiting to get love.
- Be considerate instead of waiting to receive consideration.
Finally, he advises, ?Have the attitude that this is the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, so you must find a way to make it work instead of always looking for the back door.?
For more information on Dr. Haltzman or his books, visit DrScott.com or 365Reasons.com.
