Relationships Archives

Motivation Barriers and How to Overcome Them

What are motivation barriers? How do you discuss motivation barriers? Can they be overcome? When somebody fails to meet expectations—whether that be at work, in a personal relationship, or with family—it’s often due to a motivational barrier. Motivational barriers can often be overcome by providing the person with consequences and disciplinary actions if they continue to resist improvement. Keep reading to find out how to discuss motivation barriers and overcome them.

Crucial Accountability: The Key to a Strong Relationship

What is the meaning of crucial accountability? How does accountability improve relationships? Crucial Accountability is a book written by communication and management experts. It explores how an accountability discussion can save a relationship when someone has behaved in a way that is hurtful or disappointing. Keep reading for more about Crucial Accountability and the ability to solve problems by holding others accountable.

How to Create an Effective Follow-Up Plan

Do you always follow up after having an important discussion? What is the most effective follow-up strategy? The book Crucial Accountability teaches that an effective follow-up strategy is just as important as having an accountability conversation. If you don’t follow up with an action plan after a difficult conversation, then you will lose any progress you’ve made. Learn how to follow up and create a follow-up plan below.

How to Start a Difficult Conversation

Do you know how to start a difficult conversation? Where do you begin? How do you make the conversation go smoothly? According to the authors of Crucial Accountability, establishing mutual respect and a shared purpose are the keys to learning how to start a difficult conversation. There are three steps you should take to avoid overwhelming the other person. Read more to learn how to start a difficult conversation.

Predicting Divorce: Signs to Look Out For

Is it possible to predict divorce? What are the most telling signs the relationship won’t last? The signs of an impending divorce are often evident from casual interactions of partners, even at the beginning of a relationship. Psychologist John Gottman has identified these signs by conducting observations of interactions of couples, predicting divorce with impressive accuracy. Here’s what he found.

How Your Criticism of Others Might Be an Attack on You

How can your criticism of others harm you? What if you left judgment to God instead? If you find yourself feeling lonely and unhappy, it may be because Satan is attacking your mind and leading you to sabotage your relationships. Joyce Meyer explains that Satan tries to convince you to judge and criticize others, thus causing you to alienate people. Continue reading to better understand how criticism harms—not just others—but you, as well.

Why Friendship at Work Should Be Encouraged

Are friendships at work a bad thing? Will they distract you from your job? In Delivering Happiness, former CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, says that friendship at work should be encouraged. He further explains that he implemented friendship in his company culture to create a happy environment for his employees. Here’s how Zappos motivates friendships at work, and why some people may be against developing a friendly relationship with their co-workers.

The Three Ego States in Transactional Analysis

What are the three ego states in transactional analysis? What is the function of each state? The three ego states, according to Eric Berne’s theory of personality, are the parent, the adult, and the child. None of the ego states are “bad,” per se, but they each have their own function in social situations. Continue below to learn about Berne’s ego states.

How to Stop Playing Mind Games & Embrace Intimacy

Why do people play mind games on each other? Why are we so afraid of showing up authentically? Playing mind games is a normal part of psychological development—all people do it at some point in their lives. According to Dr. Eric Berne, the author of Games People Play, we default to mind games because the more fulfilling social form—intimacy—is either unavailable or too terrifying for most people. Here’s how to stop playing mind games and embrace sincere relationships.

The Psychology Behind Mind Games: Case Study

How can you tell someone is playing a mind game on you? What are the different types of mind games people play? Mind game psychology is complex because there are many different types of games people play on each other. In his book Games People Play, psychiatrist Eric Berne provides a framework for analyzing mind games and understanding why people get tangled up in negative interactions. In this article, you’ll learn how to analyze ming games according to Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis framework.