Marriage Problems

There are many common problems in married life, and many of them can be avoided, fixed, or resolved using many different methods and techniques. The most common marital challenges married couples face, and learn how to solve marriage problems before they cause irreparable damage in the relationship.

Marriage problems causes

1. Infidelity

Infidelity is one of the most common marriage problems in relationships. The most recent data suggests that about 20 percent of interviewed men admitted to cheating on their partner compared to 10 percent of women. It includes cheating and having emotional affairs.

Other instances included in infidelity are one-night stands, physical infidelity, internet relationships, and long and short-term affairs. Infidelity occurs in a relationship for many different reasons; it is a common problem and one that various couples are struggling to find a solution to.

2. Sexual differences

Physical intimacy is indispensable in a long-term relationship, but it’s also the root cause of one of the most common marriage problems of all time, sexual problems. Sexual problems can occur in a relationship for several reasons paving the way for subsequently more marriage problems. Studies reveal that sexual compatibility, along with sexual satisfaction, was cited as the most crucial factor in determining relationship satisfaction for couples.

The most common sexual problem within a marriage is a loss of libido. Many people are under the impression that only women experience issues with libido, but men also experience the same. In other instances, sexual problems can be due to the sexual preferences of a spouse. One person in the relationship may prefer different sexual things than the other spouse, making the other spouse uncomfortable.

3. Values and beliefs

Certainly, there will be differences and disagreements within a marriage, but some differences are too significant to ignore, such as core values and beliefs. One spouse may have one religion, and the other may have a different belief. Differences in values may give rise to an emotional chasm among other common marriage problems. Such marriage problems are extremely common in cross-cultural marriages. Other differences include core values.These include the way children are reared and the things they were taught during their childhood, such as the definition of right and wrong.

4. Life stages

Many people do not consider their life stages when it comes to a relationship. In some instances, marriage issues occur simply because both spouses have outgrown each other and want more out of life from someone else. Growing apart with time is a common issue among married couples who have a significant age gap, whether it is an older man and younger woman or older woman and younger man. Personalities change with time, and couples might not remain as compatible as they once might have been. Couples with an age difference who are in different phases of life face this common marriage problem.

5. Traumatic situations

When couples go through traumatic incidents, it just adds more challenges to their married life problems. Traumatic situations are other problems that couples may experience.  A lot of traumatic events that occur are life-changing. These traumatic situations become problems for some married couples because one spouse does not know how to handle the situation at hand. One spouse may not know or understand how to function without the other due to being in the hospital or on bed rest. In other situations, one spouse may require around-the-clock care, causing them to be solely dependent on the other spouse. Sometimes, the pressure is too great, and the responsibility is too much to deal with, so the relationship spirals downward until it comes to a complete end.

6. Stress

Stress is a common marriage problem that most couples will face at least once within their relationship. Stress within a relationship can be caused by many different situations and instances, including financial, family, mental, and illness. Financial problems can stem from a spouse losing their job or being demoted at their job. Stress from family can include children, problems with their family, or the spouse’s family. Many different things trigger stress. How stress is managed and handled could create more stress.

7. Boredom

Boredom is a severe but underrated marital problem. With time some spouses become bored with their relationship. They may get tired of the things that occur within the relationship. In this situation, it comes down to being bored with the relationship because it has become predictable. A couple may do the same thing every day for many years without change or a spark.A spark usually consists of doing random things from time to time. If a relationship lacks spontaneous activities, there is a good chance boredom will become a problem.

8. Jealousy

Jealousy is another common marriage problem that causes a marriage to turn sour. If you have an overly jealous partner, being with them and around them can become a challenge. Jealousy is suitable for any relationship to an extent, as long as it is not overly jealous. Such individuals will be overbearing: they may question who you are talking to on the phone, why you are talking to them, how you know them and how long you have known them, etc. Having an overly jealous spouse can strain the relationship; a lot of stress will eventually end such a relationship.

9. Trying to change each other

This common relationship problem occurs when couples overstep their partner’s personal boundaries to mold their beliefs. It does happen that such disregard for your partner’s boundaries might happen by mistake; the extent of retaliation from the spouse that is being attacked is usually appeased in time.

10. Communication problems

Communication encompasses both verbal and non-verbal cues, which is why even if you have known someone for a long time, a slight change in the facial expression or any other form of body language can be misunderstood. Men and women communicate very differently and can fall into a habitat of improper communication. If such relationship or marriage issues are allowed to fester, then the sanctity of marriage is definitely at stake. Healthy communication is the foundation for success in marriage.

11. Lack of attention

Humans are social creatures and are avid seekers of attention from others, especially those closest to them. Every marriage over time suffers a common relationship problem, ‘lack of attention,’ where a couple, intentionally or unintentionally, redirects their attention to other aspects of their lives. Lack of attention changes the chemistry of marriage, which instigates one or the spouse to act out and overreact. This problem in marriage, if not dealt with appropriately, can then spiral out of control.

12. Financial issues

Nothing can break a marriage faster than money. If you are opening a joint account or handling your finances separately, you are bound to encounter financial problems in your marriage. It is essential to discuss any financial issues as a couple openly.

13. Lack of appreciation

A lack of gratitude, recognition, and acknowledgment of your spouse’s contribution to your relationship is a common marriage problem. Your inability to appreciate your spouse can be detrimental to your relationship.

14. Technology and social media

The emerging dangers of social media on marriage and family are becoming very imminent. With a rapid increase in our interaction and obsession with technology and social platforms, we are moving further away from healthy face-to-face communication. We are losing ourselves in a virtual world and forgetting to love other people and things around us. Such fixation has quickly become a common marriage problem.

15. Trust issues

Now, this common marriage trouble can rot your marriage from the inside, leaving no chance of restoring your relationship. The idea of trust in a marriage is still very conventional and, at times, puts too much strain on a marriage when the doubt starts to seep into a relationship.

16. Selfish behavior

Even though selfishness can be efficiently dealt with by making minor changes in your attitude towards your spouse, it is still considered a very common marriage problem. A big part of being in a relationship is melding your life with another person and their priorities. Couples often find this transition difficult as collective priorities can clash with personal ones, which can cause problems.

17. Anger issues

Losing your temper, shouting or screaming in rage, and causing physical harm to yourself or your spouse is sadly a common marriage problem. With increasing stress due to internal and external factors and in a fit of rage, we might be unable to control our anger, and an outburst towards our loved ones can be very harmful to a relationship.

18. Keeping score

When anger gets the best of us in a marriage, a widespread reaction is vengeful or seeking retribution from your spouse. Keeping count of battles won and lost within a relationship can set the foundation for an unhealthy relationship. It would make you want to settle the score constantly and lead to resentment. The priority then becomes having the upper hand rather than being there for each other.

19. Lying

Lying as a common marriage problem isn’t only restricted to infidelity or selfishness; it also comprises white lies about day-to-day things. These lies are many times used to save face and not let your spouse get the high ground. Couples might lie to each other about the difficulties or problems they might be facing at work or in other social scenarios; such marriage problems burden a relationship. When things get out of hand, it can very much wreck a marriage.

20. Unrealistic expectations

To some extent, we all agree with the notion that marriage is forever, but still, we fail to put in the time and effort to understand our partners before getting married. We draw our inspirations of a perfect marriage from stories that we have heard or from people that we know without even questioning if both of us want the same things in life or not. A mismatch between a couple about the future outlook of a relationship creates a lot of room for a build-up of unrealistic expectations from our partner. These expectations, when not fulfilled, breed resentment, disappointments and push marriage down a path from where there might be no recovery.