Psychology 409b

November 19, 2006

By:  Robyn Imose

 

Instructor:  Dr. Leon James                

 

Instructions for this activity can be found at:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral1.htm

 

Coleman, Joshua Ph.D.  (2005)  The Lazy Husband.  (New York, N.Y.: St. MartinÕs Press).  Reviewing Pages 191-206.

 

I.                 For the Husband

A.     Daily Appreciations

1.      Appreciate everything your wife does for you.

a.     For caring and doing various things for the kids.

b.     For caring and doing various things around the house.

c.      For caring and doing various things for the husband.

2.      Appreciation is very important.

a.     It is a way of saying you do not take your wife for granted.

b.     It is a way of telling her that you love her.

3.      Appreciate her for herself

a.     We feel most loved when our partners appreciate what we like about ourselves.

b.     Some things that women value are, her career, her capacity as a good wife and mother, her intelligence etc.

c.     Reassure your wife about her insecurities that she had nothing to worry about and should not be insecure.  For example, her weight, her job, her parenting etc.

4.      DonÕt be so defensive

a.     Try not to be so defensive and keep your cool if your wife has criticisms for you.

b.     Ask questions and be willing her listen to her and let her finish talking.               

5.      The Download

a.     When the wife comes home her way of connecting with her husband is to talk with him about all the events that happened that day.

b.     Dr. Coleman suggests greeting your wife with a hug and listening without comment for ten to fifteen minutes everyday.

6.      The Stone Wall

a.     This is when the husband withdraws and does not say much when they are criticized by their wives.

b.     This can seem to the wife as if the husband does not care.  Which most times is not the case.

7.      Talk about Feelings

a.     Women really like it when men talk about their feelings, it makes women feel as if they are connecting to their husband. 

b.     Men have a hard time with this because it sometimes makes them vulnerable and makes them feel weak.

8.      Be Affectionate

a.     Women rank being affectionate as one of the most important behaviors in their husband.

b.     Unfortunately men are not naturally very affectionate therefore have to work on it.

II.              The Lazy Husband Campaign

A.     Men are the ones that need to change.

B.     Women are already doing a lot more in households and are not getting adequately compensated.

C.     It is also better for the children if they grow up in a household where the father is more involved.  It gives them the impression that as husbands they should do more around the house, and as wives they should expect their husbands to do more as well.

D.    Advertisements are starting to glamorize being a husband and father showing a shift to valuing fatherhood.

E.     Changing your husband is a long term commitment because people take a long time to change therefore as long as you are moving in the right direction you are on your way to being treated how you deserve to be.

 

Related Links

 

Can Divorce be predicted?

http://innerself.com/Relationships/Can_Divorce_Be_Predicted.htm

This website is about a study done by Dr. John M. Grottman.  He studied the predictors of divorce instead of the results from it.  He video taped his clients when they came to see him and by just studying their physiological responses such as heart rate and blood flow during conflicts, they could predict divorce with a 95% degree of accuracy.  He also found that Òstone wallingÓ was a big factor in predicting divorce.  The studied showed that stonewalling not only predicted the husband being lonely but also played a factor in his deteriorating health.

 

How to Meet the Need for Affection

http://www.marriagebuilders.com/graphic/mbi5010_qa.html

This website has a letter from a women who is getting back together with her husband after being separated for 2 years.  She says that a problem in her marriage was that he was not affectionate so what should she do.  The therapist says that men are not naturally affectionate, they have to learn to be by either their family or their girlfriend or wife.  He gives his clients a list of things to do throughout the day to show her he loves her.  At first I agreed with some of the wives in that it could be view as fake affection, but I think that after some time of doing what is on the list, it becomes more from the heart and not fake at all.

 

Showing Your Husband or Wife That You Love Them

http://www.wikihow.com/Show-Your-Wife-or-Husband-That-You-Truly-Love-Them

This website has steps to take in order to show your husband or wife that you love them, or to just have a happier marriage.  Some of the helpful hints they suggest is to do things together with the cell phone and tv turned off to just enjoy each other.  Also to show your love through your actions like giving each other massages and drawing each other a bath.  I thought this list could be very helpful to couples around because it is simple things that you can do for each other that might end up making a big impact of the relationship for the better.

 

My Homepage: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409bf2006/imose/imose-home.htm

Class Homepage:http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/classhome-g25.htm