Materialistic couples feud

A recent study discovered that married couples who are materialistic have more problems.

A recent study that was published online by the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, which focuses on issues relating to all types of adult relationships, revealed that materialism strains marriages. The study said that marriages where the spouses had low materialistic principles were doing much better, compared to other couples who where reported to have a high materialistic values. Researchers used 1734 married couples for the study.

Other feuding factors
While there are also other things that contribute to partner relational challenges, Simphiwe Sinkoyi, a clinical psychologist at Sandton Psychology Centre, says three main components play a major role in couple feuds: money, sex and a third party.

“But you don’t need to be an expert in financial management, an aphrodisiac maniac or to excel in people skills to keep your relationship healthy. You just need to achieve high levels of healthy communication in the three domains,” says Sinkoyi.
“For example, a low-level factory labourer can be transparent enough with his wife about his earnings to live happily throughout the month on his salary,” Sinkoyi says.

According to Sinkoyi, a good therapist will assist couples to achieve high levels of healthy communication and acceptance of strengths and weakness to advance towards optimal relations. Healthy communication plays a vital role in resolving issues.