What Is Stonewalling And Why Is It Destroying Your Marriage?

Enjoy the episode? Send us a text! Research shows that four specific communication behaviors during arguments can predict divorce with 80-90% accuracy, while eliminating these behaviors can dramatically improve marriage success. • The four horsemen of relationship conflict are defensiveness, criticism, contempt, and stonewalling • Defensiveness deflects blame and responsibility, creating a downward spiral in communication • Criticism attacks a partner's character rather than addressing specific behaviors • Contempt is the most dangerous pattern, involving feelings of superiority toward your partner • Stonewalling occurs when one partner mentally or physically shuts down during conflict • The antidote to stonewalling is taking a purposeful break with the intention to resume later • Taking time to cool down and process emotions leads to more productive conflict resolution • Sometimes sleeping on an issue provides needed perspective, contrary to "don't go to bed angry" advice • Breaking these harmful communication patterns requires recognizing and interrupting them early Get our ultimate guide to better communication by visiting marriagehelper.com/smart to access our toolkit on how to communicate effectively, even when your spouse isn't talking to you. If you're struggling in your marriage, don’t wait. Get our FREE resource: The 7 Steps to Rescue Your Marriage 👉 https://marriagehelper.com/free 📞 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: https://bit.ly/4fhb9Yz 🔗 Website: https://marriagehelper.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marriagehelper 👀 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marriagehelper Follow our other channels! 📺 https://youtube.com/@kimberlybeamholmes 📺 https://youtube.com/@drjoebeam