Most romantic relationships start out good, but they don't all end that way. Sadly, for every stroll into the sunset somebody takes with a new life partner, somebody else gets stuck in an emotionally abusive relationship.
Statistics suggest that emotional and psychological abuse is far more rampant than people suspect, particularly in romantic relationships. In arecent episode of the Mormon Channel Podcast, host Charlotte Keneipp cited many experts in the field as she detailed six signs of abuse Latter-day Saints (and everybody) should look out for.
1) Does the person demand that you account for all your time away from them?
"As important as trust is in a relationship, you do not need to detail every bit of unimportant minutia to a partner," Keneipp said. It's micromanaging, she continued, to have to say you went to the gas station to get milk instead of the grocery store. Such micromanaging, according to Keneipp, can "lead to an unhealthy balance of power" in the relationship.
2) Does your significant other get very angry when they can't reach you?
"When you're dating somebody, you need to maintain your own identity," Keneipp said. So if your significant other gets upset when they can't reach out to you whenever they feel like it, for instance, if your phone goes to voicemail or you can't answer a text right away, that could be a sign of a larger problem.
3) Financial Abuse
Money is huge in a relationship. In fact, statistics show that money is actually one of the top reasons that relationships fail. Keneipp lists several red flags that may arise in financial aspects of a relationship. If somebody tries to tell you how to spend money, how to regulate your own money, makes major financial decisions without you, or hides money from you, that person is going to be difficult to establish a lasting, healthy relationship with.
For the other three warning signs Keneipp describes, listen to her five-minute podcast on the Mormon Channel. The good news, as she says, is that there is help available for anyone struggling in a relationship. On LDS.org, you can schedule a meeting with an LDS family service representative, and the Mormon Channel has lots of great resources.
"As you're moving forward with any type of romantic relationship," Keneipp concluded, "make sure you're with someone who respects your individual identity and treats you as their equal."