The Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C.

630-409-8184

1444 North Farnsworth Avenue, Suite 307, Aurora, IL 60505

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What are the Danger Signs of Divorce?

 Posted on December 00,0000 in DuPage County divorce lawyer

Chicago divorce attorney, Doctor John Gottman, DuPage County divorce lawyer, Illinois family law attorney, judging your spouse, signs of divorce, divorce and disrespect, high anxietyDoctor John Gottman has been studying married couples for 30 years. He uses a "Love Lab" at the University of Washington to monitor couples for a period of 24 hours. Gottman is from the Gottman Institute in Seattle. The research performed by Gottman has led to the creation of four signs that a couple is headed for divorce.

Criticism in a Relationship

One of the most common signs of a divorce, according to Gottman, is the presence of criticism in your relationship. There is nothing wrong with spouses complaining to each other about certain things within the relationship, but criticism is a different monster. Criticism involves critically judging your spouse or making critical comments, which should not be present in a relationship.

Presence of Defensiveness

A relationship that has defensiveness present could be headed towards a divorce. When a spouse finds it necessary to defend him-or-herself, it is a form of criticizing the other spouse. This is a form of blaming the other person involved in the marriage, which can cause friction between the couple.

Disrespect

When disrespect is present in a marriage, then your relationship could be very close to ending in a divorce. This is the single-best predictor of divorce. Disrespect can include anything from disgust to name-calling to sarcasm to acting better than your spouse and much more.

Tuning-Out Your Spouse

The fourth and final predictor of divorce, based on the research performed by Gottman, is tuning-out your spouse. When you simply ignore what your spouse is saying due to criticism or defensiveness, the relationship can deteriorate very quickly. When a person begins to tune out their spouse, it means that he or she could be dealing with a high level of anxiety.

If your relationship develops any danger signs of divorce, contact an Illinois family law attorney to  discuss your options. Call 630-409-8184 today.

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The Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C.

630-409-8184

1444 North Farnsworth Avenue, Suite 307, Aurora, IL 60505

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