Personal Reflection On MRIA Interviews

Entering into this semester I was under the impression I was far too young to understand love and relationships. What could I truly know? Am I even ready anytime soon to take a leap of faith and submerge myself into a committed relationship? My relationships could rarely last longer than a couple months. My response many times in class was, “I’m not even eighteen”. However I realized after a few weeks, I was being naive. I began each assignment thinking the faster I get this done the more time I have to workout or watch Netflix, but soon I found myself working on my interviews and papers for hours, as I was intrigued by my participants answers and the copious amount of information that pertained to my life. This class wasn’t forcing me into …show more content…
The greatest lessons and the most repetitive themes throughout this semester and the MRIA interviews were communication, compromise and sacrifice, three very important key concepts in a lasting relationship. Compiled are the many similar responses from each interview. “When being single you have, the ability to be selfish”, however when being single, “often times you lack a really deep emotional connection.” “I expect marriage to take a lot of compromise and as such will at times be difficult. I also expect that if you truly love the other person, that marriage will be a time of great happiness.” “I believe some marriages succeed because they truly love each other and as such make personal sacrifices to make the other person happy.” “In order to have a successful and healthy relationship, you must share core values including views on religion, family, lifestyle and many more. However you must be able to compromise and make sacrifices, because no two people are the same.” As for expectations I would say I expect there to be differences that I can 't see now because I know that everyone is different and there will be a lot of sacrifices and accommodations to learn how to live with one another.” “I think it means you have reached an equilibrium on how you feel emotionally. The key to this is communication. …show more content…
These participants cemented in my mind the importance of these three aspects. In the novel, “How to Avoid falling In Love With a Jerk”, “Communication involves verbal and nonverbal messages, as well as both speaking and listening skills…the number one complaint couples bring to marriage counselors is a lack of communication.” If you are unwilling to communicate with your partner or your partner is unwilling to communicate with you, are you truly able to begin or continue in a serious relationship. Communication allows you to discover someone’s true self, referring to values, personality, traits, hobbies, how they have grown up, how they treat others, etc. “Marriages don’t work when individuals in the relationship become selfish instead of selfless. Marriages work when companions are committed to each other no matter what. They don’t quit when challenges come their way and they realize that it is worth it.” Your marriage is meant to be a safe harbor unfortunately in some cases it becomes the place individuals are running from, due to selfish desires. Communication does not mean arguing, if an issue needs to be resolved, that issue need to be resolved in a civil manner where both individuals are willing to listen and understand the others perspective. I watched as my relationships fell apart due to lack of communication,