For people in Western culture, individualism is a high value that we carry. Sometimes maybe too much. I have seen countless couples that practice the same kind of selfishness in a relationship that they did when they were single. Valuing your individualism and others is important, but treating another person as if they don’t deserve that same individualism is inappropriate. We can develop healthy ways to establish and keep relationships without feeling like we have lost the sense of ourselves in the process. We can do this by:
- Taking care of ourselves
- Making sure that we understand how to balance our relationship within both of the lives of the participants
- When making decisions, include your partner
- Do not act in an authoritative manner, but a collaborative manner
Being self-reflective and having an encouraging nature towards your partner are key to overcoming selfishness and to make the most out of the Two Individuals that make up the Relationship.