Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step by Step Guide to Help You Decide Whether to Stay in or Get Out of Your Relationship

She just wasn’t as confident about his ability to be a successful inventor as he was. So she put her foot down and threatened to leave Bernie if he left his job. Bernie spent seven

Finally Ann said in a dry, quiet voice, “I don’t think I’ve ever really liked him. I like what he likes. But I don’t like him.” It was sad. It’s always sad

Con Jobs. Your needs make them sick. Literally. Or so they’d have you think. That’s how power people work. One woman learned this at her mother’s knee when as a teenager she told her mother she didn’t want to go to church anymore. Her mother fell on the floor, enacting a full-blown heart attack so convincingly that the daughter called the paramedic

Another reason you might not see that your needs are being obliterated is that some consummately subtle power people always know when to stop one step short of your consciously feeling your needs are obliterated. If you fall into this category, you’ll sincerely answer no to question #7 because of the way now and then one of your needs does get sati

Frustration, fear, and deprivation are nature’s way of telling you that this relationship is not your home. The four mechanisms listed before this guideline

He wanted to quit his crazy-making sales job and go after the potential rewards—financial, psychological, and otherwise—of being a freelance inventor.

But her partner felt bored, trapped, humiliated, and deprived by this lovemaking that went on for hours and hours and used up every bit of spare time.

For a particular need you have, and without blaming or attacking or labeling your partner, explain to your partner how it’s simply not fair that things are the way they are now. For example, you might say, “It’s not fair, is it, that we always watch what you want to watch on TV and never watch what I want to watch?” Do they respond to your appeal t

your idea of negotiation is a calm discussion but for your partner it’s an opportunity to get passionate, then you’ll quickly spiral into a huge disappointing fight every time one of you brings up a need. Sometimes two