Sacrifice Essential for Functional Marriages

In case anyone was still wondering, a good marriage revolves around making sacrifices. The trick is to get both members to do the same, in a balanced manner. When getting married, individuals need to be aware that they will absolutely have to make sacrifices, not be faced with the prospect after the ceremony.

I believe that anyone entering a marriage or civil union expecting not to change at all is grossly misguided. The very essence of human interpersonal relationships is compromise, even in social situations where people have just met others, PsychCentral reports.

“As a relationship changes, however, shouldn’t you say at some point something like, ‘I’m committed to this relationship, but it’s not going very well – I need to have some resolve, make some sacrifices and take the steps I need to take to keep this relationship moving forward',” Benjamin Karney explains.

If you're interested in learning more about this topic, a paper describing the findings is published in the latest online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.