How Does Pride Affect Relationships
“PRIDE”, is a relationship killer! It will take your friendships, your marriage, and any other relationship you value, and tear them up into shreds. In its wake, pride will leave behind hurt, bitterness, destruction, and pain. Not a pretty picture, is it?
A common sign of pride is the refusal to say “I’m sorry.” The inability to apologize can appear for two reasons. First, a prideful person may not be able to see they are wrong. Second, a prideful person might not be willing to admit fault even when they know it is there. Either way, the words “I’m sorry” are never heard or if they are, they are quickly followed by “but you.”
Pride makes people defensive when criticized. Criticism is not always bad. Proverbs 15:31 says, “If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.“ Likewise, Proverbs 25:12 says, “To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.” However, if you’re full of pride, criticism strikes an ugly chord, and your immediate response is to get defensive.
Pride makes a person self-centered, wrapped up in thoughts of their own comfort, own well-being, own opinions, and own points of view – often dismissing or excluding others (including their spouse) in the process. Not a communicative, healthy, growing marriage there.
Pride says we deserve to do our own thing and go our own way. Marriage demands that we sacrifice our individual dreams and desires for the sake of the relationship. It requires us to submit our wills to one another in order for the union to flourish. Pride convinces us that sacrifice is below us and submission is unnecessary.
When pride is present, intimacy is absent. A couple can be full of pride or they can have a healthy marriage, but they cannot have both. A wise couple will recognize the agony of pride and will do everything in their power to eradicate from themselves and their relationship.
Here are the ways pride can affect your relationship:
1. Pride will stop you from seeing the best in your partner.
Pride will stop you from seeing the good side and the good things your partner is doing. You partner will not look important to you no matter the effort that he/she is putting towards making the relationship work and growth.
2. It can make couples feel reluctant to apologize even when they are wrong.
The ability to say sorry is a sign of humility in a relationship and it’s an idea that will show that you truly cares. Saying sorry at times doesn’t mean you are wrong but you want to let your partner feel the humility in you but if you are full of pride to say sorry or apologize to your partner will be difficult for you.
3. Inability to accept mistakes.
Anybody that is proud can never accept their mistakes or see their own errors. No one can correct them. Such people feels they are always right and accurate in everything they are doing and people like that make lots of mistakes unknowingly. If you are proud, to accept your mistakes as your mistake or as your own fault will be difficult for you. Proud people can never sustain relationships because their partner can never be pleased with their attitude.
4 Disrespect.
Whosoever that is proud will not respect others or respect their opinions. Their believe is that they are superior to others and they are the only one who can do things right. Their partners can control them because their believe is that they are just better off than who they are in a relationship with. Someone who can’t respect others can never maintain a good relationship with others.
5. Regular argument.
Any relationship that will have less argument must stay way from pride and too much of ego. Constant argument will always be in a relationship that one is proud. Humidity sustain a healthy relationship if you want your relationship to be the one that will end well, you need learn how to stay away from too much ego and pride.
Let your relationship steak more of your good character, loyalty, selflessness submission, humility, respect, faithfulness and trust. If all these listed is lost in your relationship, just know that the relationship will be full of crisis.