In the Media – When your partner dislikes your friends
Screen Shot from the Wall Street Journal
July 14, 2015
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, columnist Elizabeth Bernstein tackles the thorny question of what to do when your partner dislikes your friends.
In her article, “Couples Confess: I Love You, I Don’t Love Your Friends,” she interviews one such couple and writes:
“Social psychologists say that disapproving of or disliking a partner’s friends can be one of the stickiest problems in a relationship. Both of you will feel bitter: One at having to deal with people he or she doesn’t like, the other at being pressured to cut off people he or she may love.
Often, couples try to ignore this tension—but, eventually, it comes to a head, often over something seemingly unrelated.”
For some tips on what to do if you really don’t like your significant other’s friends, she interviewed The Friendship Doctor.
Dr. Levine’s tips are reprinted below:
Category: IN THE MEDIA, OTHER ADVICE
My husband does not overly care for a couple of my friends and vice versa. No hostility or blatant dislike , but don’t have much in common which is fine Not everyone is going to be best friends. Hence the importance of having own network of friends or other activities to keep busy. That’s what ladies or guys nights are for.
Good article but shame they didn’t interview other couples too to deomonatrate different situations especially as pressuring a partner to give up their friends can be an indicator of control and future abuse. But there are often ways around the situation other than the person giving up their friends such as making some friends together as a couple. Can the partner who doesn’t like a pariicular group bring along a couple of their own friends or friends they’ve made together. Or just attend key things.