Complicated Relationship: 8 Causes and 15 Signs That You Are In It

What Is a Complicated Relationship?

A complicated relationship involves challenges, conflicts, and differing expectations between two or more people. It differs from smooth and harmonious connections and can lead to confusion and emotional upheaval. These relationships can appear in various aspects of life, such as love, friendship, family, or work. Essentially, a complicated relationship is defined by factors that make it hard to navigate and achieve stability and happiness.

It’s normal for relationships to have complexities and difficulties at times, but navigating a complicated relationship can be confusing and frustrating, leaving you uncertain about the future.

8 Causes of a Complicated Relationship:

Involvement in complicated relationships can lead to emotional, mental, and physical effects on the people involved. These relationships can bring both positive and negative consequences, depending on how the challenges are handled and the overall relationship’s well-being. Here are some important causes of such relationships:

1-Unaddressed Conflicts:

When conflicts or unresolved issues aren’t handled, they can cause stress and make relationships complex. These problems might come up frequently, stopping a relationship from moving forward with ease.

2-Absence of Boundaries:

The absence of well-defined boundaries can lead to misunderstandings, resentment, and a perception of being exploited, all of which contribute to a complicated relationship.

3-Reality vs Expectations:

A lot of people view relationships like fairytales. They believe they’ll fall madly in love with a flawless individual who’s absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, this is rarely true because everyone has imperfections.

Entering a relationship with these high expectations can be disappointing when you realize nobody is perfect. This may cause stress and complexities in various types of relationships.

4-Impact of past events and trauma:

Individuals respond to current situations based on their previous experiences. This explains why someone with a difficult childhood may struggle to embrace love, even when there’s a supportive partner by their side.

People in relationships who have unresolved past issues may display signs of emotional immaturity or instability.

Consequently, their partner may need to be extra careful around them, which can make relationships complex.

5-Opposing values :

Opposing values can make relationships complicated. If you highly value punctuality, but your partner is messy and doesn’t mind being late, the relationship can become tiring over time. While it’s important to recognize that your partner may have different traits and values that complement yours, if they are the complete opposite of you in the areas that matter most, the relationship may suffer.

6-Assumptions:

The partners lack an understanding of conflict navigation. In the beginning, we acknowledged that humans possess diverse preferences and personalities, leading to inevitable conflicts in relationships. Therefore, it is crucial for everyone in a relationship to acquire conflict resolution skills. By managing emotions effectively during conflicts, relationships can avoid becoming complicated. However, if differences persist and remain unresolved, the relationship will inevitably become complicated.

7-Losing trust:

One of the most terrifying things that can happen in these relationships is that people begin to lose trust in one another. Even a kind gesture is met with suspicion and accusations.

8-Communication Difficulties:

Complicated relationships can suffer from poor communication, which can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and a lack of clarity. This, in turn, can lead to further conflicts and emotional distress. When people don’t communicate effectively with each other, their relationships become intricate. This is often because they fear that communication may lead to the end of the relationship.

15 Signs of a Complicated Relationship:

By recognizing these signs, you can gain insight into your situation and make more informed decisions about your future…Read More