{"id":121555,"date":"2021-02-02T11:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=121555"},"modified":"2023-03-02T15:11:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T15:11:26","slug":"why-am-i-so-mean-to-my-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/why-am-i-so-mean-to-my-partner.htm","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Why Am I So Mean to My Partner?&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-121558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/mean-girl-309x400.png\" alt=\"mean to my partner\" width=\"309\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/mean-girl-309x400.png 309w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/mean-girl-464x600.png 464w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/mean-girl.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 309px) 100vw, 309px\" \/><span style=\"color: #333399;\">by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Nice to others, but once you are alone with<\/strong> your partner, another side roars out? Keep asking yourself, \u2018why am I so <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-deal-with-mean-people.htm\">mean<\/a> to my partner?\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Why can&#8217;t I stop being so mean?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>It\u2019s a loaded question. And the answer<\/strong> might be something entirely different than you expect. It also varies depending on you as an individual, so read all of the various scenarios below before jumping to conclusions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Is it all your fault?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>The first thing to notice is the<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/its-all-my-fault-self-blame.htm\"> self blame<\/a>. <em>It\u2019s all your fault, you are the big bad wolf, and they are the poor<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/live-life-like-victim-12-ways-tell.htm\"> victim<\/a>. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>But this is life, not a fairy tale. And relationships are two adults making choices.<\/strong> The other person is choosing, for their own reasons, to be in a relationship with you. And if they are allowing you to be mean, and are not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/healthy-boundaries.htm\">setting boundaries<\/a>, then they have their own matching issue. In some way or another they are \u2018getting something\u2019 from the relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #800080;\">This is not to say it\u2019s okay to be mean to someone you care about who hasn\u2019t done much to merit it (and it\u2019s certainly not okay if the meanness is leading to abuse of any kind). But this is to say that the blame game, the \u201cI am such a horrible person\u201d tactic, can be a way to blind ourselves to other, more useful truths in our relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Are you really that mean?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Again, if you really are<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/honesty-criticism-or-verbal-abuse.htm\">verbally attacking your partner<\/a>, it\u2019s a serious problem, and it\u2019s great that you are aware of that. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>But in some cases we have another agenda. We expect ourselves to<\/strong> be perfect, and live up to some idea we have of ourselves as an endlessly supportive, smiling, and buddha-like partner. We are using our relationship to support our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/negative-thoughts.htm\">low self-esteem<\/a> and constantly beat ourselves up by deciding we are a \u2018bad partner\u2019 because we snap now and then. And we are actually being false in the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">Relationships and people are messy. And<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/get-closer-intimacy-issues.htm\"> intimacy<\/a> is about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/authentic-relationships.htm\">authenticity<\/a>. Sure, our partner gets to see our best side. Our loving, open, and warm goodness. But they also get to see our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shadow-self.htm\">shadow side<\/a>. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/depression-vs-sadness.htm\">sadness<\/a>, our confusion, and, yes, sometimes our full on bitchiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_121562\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121562\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-121562\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/zach-vessels-mdLklXFZBDI-unsplash-400x225.jpg\" alt=\"mean to my partner\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/zach-vessels-mdLklXFZBDI-unsplash-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/zach-vessels-mdLklXFZBDI-unsplash-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/zach-vessels-mdLklXFZBDI-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-121562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by: Zach Vessels<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Note that it can be our very desire to deny a part of who we are that can lead to outbursts in the first place.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Think of the effort it takes to hold a beach ball under water, only for it to eventually pops up rather dramatically. Whereas if we just let that beach ball float in plain sight there is far less energy required. That beach ball is your upset and worries. Held under it becomes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/different-types-of-anger.htm\">anger that is explosive<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Is it you, or is it them? <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Once you get out of blame mode, you can start to<\/strong> evaluate the true sources of your tendency to lash out. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #993366;\">1. Do they do things that actually do annoy you? <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Do you have very real reasons for feeling edgy?<\/strong> Is it possible that, through no fault of their own, they are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/compromise-in-relationships.htm\">not actually the right partner for you<\/a>, no matter how \u2018nice\u2019 they are? For example, if you are a deep person who values personal evolution, and your partner finds that \u2018stuff\u2019 silly and makes jokes about it, it might just be that you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/values-and-beliefs.htm\">don\u2019t share values<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #800080;\">Sometimes meanness is our own way of avoiding a truth we don\u2019t want to face, like that you and your partner are a mismatch and you need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/letting-go-and-moving-on.htm\">let go<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #993366;\">2. Do they &#8216;get&#8217; you?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Research shows that having a partner who &#8216;gets&#8217; us actually leads to better health and even a longer life, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29916964\/\">according to a study<\/a>. at Cornell University.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">The same study discusses how alternately, if there isn&#8217;t &#8216;perceived partner responsiveness&#8217; (how much you perceive you romantic partner understands, cares for, and appreciates you), we are more easily stressed. And if stress leads to you being snappy&#8230;. therein could lie the problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><span style=\"color: #993366;\">3. Is your bad behaviour all on you and they are your dumping ground?<\/span> <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Notice when you lash out. Is it after something else goes wrong?<\/strong> You hear from one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/friendship-and-love.htm\">friend<\/a> that another friend is having a get together without you, and you hang up the phone, and next thing you know you are sniping away at your partner? <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Being mean can also be an unhealthy form of <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/quiz-stressed-or-depressed\">stress<\/a> relief. We might have learned this behaviour from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/bad-parents-are-you-one.htm\">parents<\/a> growing up. Because they did it, we took on board that you lash out at loved ones when upset.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>If this is your real problem, then you will notice that your ugly side also comes out<\/strong> around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/dysfunctional-family-help.htm\">family<\/a>. Basically, once you let your guard down and are with people you love, you can be mean.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><span style=\"color: #993366;\">4. Is this way, way bigger than your relationship?<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Next question \u2014 has this pattern turned up in all your relationships to date? Do you find that the moment you move towards intimacy and love, your inner nastiness steps up to the plate? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Then this is about an unconscious relating pattern, or<\/strong> \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-a-schema-psychology.htm\">schema<\/a>\u2019. You are trapped in a loop of unhealthy behaviour. And that won\u2019t come from nowhere, but from a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm\"> childhood difficulty<\/a> or even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/childhood-effects-of-trauma.htm\">trauma<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>For example, a common cause of adult meanness is<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-can-i-remember-childhood-trauma-abuse.htm\">childhood abuse<\/a>. Abuse can leave a child with an unconscious belief that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/something-bad-is-going-to-happen.htm\">the world is a very dangerous place<\/a>. Or that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-wrong-with-me.htm\">there is something wrong with them<\/a>. Or that it is somehow all their fault. That they are the monster. If it was an adult you loved who hurt you, the belief might be that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-counterdependency.htm\">love is dangerous<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">As an adult we can consciously see how crazy this sort of thinking is. And yet unless we take the time process and heal the past, these beliefs live in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-the-unconscious-mind.htm\">unconscious<\/a> mind and run the show. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_121563\" style=\"width: 277px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121563\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-121563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/jakayla-toney-MDtDO0oL0GM-unsplash-267x400.jpg\" alt=\"mean to partner\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/jakayla-toney-MDtDO0oL0GM-unsplash-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/jakayla-toney-MDtDO0oL0GM-unsplash-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/jakayla-toney-MDtDO0oL0GM-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-121563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by: Jakayla Toney<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>If the world is dangerous, we better be mean to keep people at<\/strong> bay so they can\u2019t hurt us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>If we are a monster, we better make sure we don\u2019t dare feel<\/strong> good things or<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/am-i-a-good-person.htm\"> let people think we are good<\/a>. We better let them know we are a scary. Say, by being mean. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>If love is dangerous, then<\/strong> we better lash out if we start to feel to happy or open.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Borderline personality disorder and lashing out<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Childhood sexual abuse is <\/strong>highly linked to the possibility of ending up an adult with what is called \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/compassion-for-borderline-personality-disorder.htm\">borderline personality disorder<\/a>\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">One of the main symptoms of BPD is \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-emotional-dsyregulation.htm\">emotional dysregulation<\/a>\u2019. This means your moods go from zero to a hundred just like that. One minute you are okay, the next you are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/crying-for-no-reason.htm\">in tears<\/a>, or, yes, angry and mean. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>If you have unstable personality disorder, the main thing that triggers this emotional revving is feeling you are<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-handle-rejection.htm\">being rejected<\/a>. At the slightest whiff of rejection you\u2019ll <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/pandemic-mental-health-issues.htm\">overreact<\/a>\u00a0and assume the worst, even if it\u2019s just someone not answering a text you sent.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Can therapy help me from being mean?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Therapy is very helpful for helping you recognise why you lash out, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-cope-life-is-crazy.htm\">how you can better cope<\/a> with emotions so that people don&#8217;t bear the brunt of them and you don&#8217;t leave yourself <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-avoidant-attachment.htm\">lonely<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you think you have<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/living-with-bpd.htm\">borderline personality disorder<\/a>, read our article, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/borderline-personality-disorder-treatment-therapy.htm\">Therapies that Work for BPD&#8221;<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Ready to stop ruining your relationships by being mean? And to finally sink into love? We connect you to a team of <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">highly regarded and rated<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/therapists.htm\">London-based therapists<\/a><\/span>. Or use our online <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Mid%20Post\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">booking site<\/span><\/a> to find affordable <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">UK-wide and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\">online therapy<\/a><\/span> that is accessible worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Want to share an experience with other readers, or have a question about, &#8216;why am I so mean to my partner&#8217;? Use the comment box below. Note we cannot offer free counselling over comments.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-117271 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-397x400.png\" alt=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" width=\"131\" height=\"132\" \/>Andrea M. Darcy is a wellbeing and health writer who also coaches people on how to find the right help for their issues and plan their therapy journey. Find her <strong>@am_darcy\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Andrea M. Darcy Nice to others, but once you are alone with your partner, another side roars out? Keep asking yourself, \u2018why am I so mean to my partner?\u2019 Why can&#8217;t I stop being so mean?\u00a0 It\u2019s a loaded question. And the answer might be something entirely different than you expect. It also varies [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":121561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[223,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personality-disorders","category-relationships","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Why Am I So Mean to My Partner?&quot; - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can&#039;t stop lashing out and worrying, &#039;why am I being so mean to my partner&#039;? 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Darcy","author_link":"#"},"uagb_comment_info":154,"uagb_excerpt":"by Andrea M. Darcy Nice to others, but once you are alone with your partner, another side roars out? Keep asking yourself, \u2018why am I so mean to my partner?\u2019 Why can&#8217;t I stop being so mean?\u00a0 It\u2019s a loaded question. And the answer might be something entirely different than you expect. 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