Controlling behaviors are often hard to distinguish from the normal experience of being in a relationship. If you suspect your partner is controlling, look for clues in how your partner’s behavior affects you. 

Do you feel like you’re twisting yourself into a pretzel to...

“You’re overreacting,” Jake told Amanda. “It’s no big deal.” Amanda looked at Jake with disbelief. He said he planned to go on a fishing trip with his male friends over the weekend. But he neglected to tell her that his ex-girlfriend would be there. When Amanda...

“I can’t be wrong all the time,” laments a woman who needs counseling for her troubled relationship. After some probing, I discover that her partner is controlling and blaming is one of the tactics he uses against her.

If she disagrees with him, he retaliates with anger or...

In healthy relationships, partners may argue, criticize each other, and use hostile language, but perpetrators know their behavior is hurtful and inappropriate. They feel remorse, have meaningful discussion about what happened, and make genuine efforts to improve. The conflict can make a...

Know when your partner's moods are hiding bigger issues

It’s exasperating when your intimate partner alternates between warmth and coldness. You never know what mood will appear. The trouble is usually blamed on you and you struggle to understand what you did.

Your response may be to cater...