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Approval or Control

 

He wants the same thing.".
             "I want him to stop criticizing me.".
             "You want to control his actions.".
             "Well, I guess so, if that" what it takes to get him to stop.".
             "You make my point, Jennifer. But let's take this a little further and explore it from a self-actualized viewpoint. Is your husband normally a critical person?".
             "Yes, he's always been critical of everything and everybody.".
             "Always? Then do you think he is going to change?".
             "No, not really.".
             "You married him, knowing that he was a critical person?".
             "Yes, but .".
             "Do you want out of the marriage?".
             "No, absolutely not. I love him.".
             "Okay, you can't change another person. He has to want to change and be willing work at it. That doesn't sound too likely, although I would suggest that you calmly express your needs in this area. But for the moment, if you don't think he"ll change, and you are upset by the criticism, it sounds to me like it's up to you to change how you respond to your husband.".
             "Hmmm," she said.
             "What if your husband were married to a different woman . a woman named Sally who looked different, but did the same basic things you do. Would he be critical of her?".
             "Yes, I know he would.".
             "Then the real problems is that you"re taking the criticism personally. Most problems in life are not resolved by an actual change, but by a change in viewpoint. If you could develop "detached mind," you"d stop taking things personally. You"d know someone else's reaction to you, good or bad, is a viewpoint based upon their past programming. It has nothing to do with you. The way they relate to you is the way they would relate to anyone who represented to them what you represent. In this case, your husband is a man who would criticize any wife.".
             "So, I have to change my thinking.".
             "If you want to end the conflict, let go of your old beliefs about reality. Reality exists as a manifestation of your viewpoint. If you let your husband's criticism flow through you without affecting you, you rise above the effects of fear.


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