Compliance gaining strategies & reconciliation in romantic relationships - Research Paper Example

Any person physically assaulted by the partner in the relationship should report it and proper actions should be taken against the perpetrators. The situation at hand is that of a particular couple with constant problems; the male partner results in physically assaulting his girlfriend claiming that she is disrespectful. The man has a very low opinion of the girlfriend; he even cannot consider dialogue as a means of solving their problems. He considers her to be subordinate and, thus, she should comply with whatever he says.

On the other hand, the lady feels humiliated, worthless, disrespected and despised (Rill, et al, 2009). So the woman succumbs to this and decides to do all the man desires in order to avoid conflict and future assaults. In this case the woman has resigned and her self-esteem has been drawn from her. This condition is called a double-bind where one is bound to do all that the other person desires. Given the scenario above, the man wants to be seen as the total source of authority, he wants to feel respected and powerful.

This might have emulated from the society’s view of both genders; for instance, in many societies men are viewed to be the decision makers while women are expected to be listeners (Knee, Patrick & Lonsbary, 2003). The girlfriend, on the other hand, does not want the relationship to end and can do anything in order to ensure it works out. Because she loves the man so much, they have been through a lot together and above all they have a child together, hence, she cannot imagine getting separated with him.

To Rill et al (2009), cooperation is a strategy that is employed by the girlfriend in order to gain the confidence of her partner. In this case, the girl will try as much as she can to cooperate with her boyfriend and carry out his demands as he expects. This is because she thinks everything is going to run smoothly due to the cooperation with her boyfriend, and all causes of conflict will be