Facing The 7 Deadly Needs

Dangerous Behaviors That Hurt Relationships

December 16, 2016 – If your relationships continue to fail after a while, you could be committing one of the seven deadly needs that kill relationships. Similar to the seven deadly sins, the actions described in this set of rules are ones you should stay far away from in order to nurture a healthy, loving relationship that makes both parties happy.

To improve your relationships, learn to recognize these seven behaviors that are hurting them: 

1. The Need to Know

Facts and information can be helpful and enlightening in the right situation. However, knowing the details of social situations that aren’t your business can get you into trouble. The habit of probing for information about other people’s lives to satisfy your own curiosity can be dangerous. It often leads to judgments about the people you care about that are not your place to make.

2. The Need to Be Right

In any conflict, if one person is proven right, the other isn’t necessarily wrong. The need to be right sets up an adversarial relationship between two people. You could consider your need to be right that same as your need to prove someone else wrong. Making a practice of pointing out other people’s mistakes can be detrimental to close relationships.

3. The Need to Get Even

Revenge is a destructive emotion, especially for the person who seeks it. Seeking revenge puts you in the victim’s role when conflict arises. It forces you to evaluate the situation as a loss for you. Revenge will never make you feel as though the score is even. There will always be one more score to settle. Acceptance and forgiveness are more calming than revenge.

4. The Need to Look Good

Appearance isn’t everything. Looking good doesn’t fill the void when you don’t believe you’re good enough. When your energy is focused on trying to look good, it’s not working on what really matters.

5. The Need to Judge

Judgment tears relationships apart. No one is perfect, so while you’re passing judgment, you’ll find flaws. Strive for acceptance instead. No one likes to be judged.

6. The Need to Keep Score

Keeping score is childish and encourages competition. In a loving relationship, you’re not in competition with your partner. You’re both striving to be the best individual you can be while working to support the other’s efforts. There’s no real comparison between the unique gifts each of you brings to the relationship.

7. The Need to Control

Control is a dangerous idea. No one can truly control life, and especially not the actions of someone else. Your attempts to maintain control will only breed frustration and disappointment. Relinquish control and accept life as it comes.

How To Build Healthy Relationships

Building a healthy relationship requires you to be your authentic self. Better relationships are built between two people who know their own hearts and can relax and accept emotional intimacy without feeling threatened. Bad habits and defenses ruin relationships.

Addiction also ruins relationships. If you’re guilty of these seven deadly needs, you’re not in a healthy relationship. Start by examining yourself to understand why you are not confident the way you are — there’s a good chance addiction plays a role in your neediness.

It’s impossible to have a healthy relationship when you’re addicted to substances, whether it be an addiction to drugs or alcohol abuseContact Tranquil Shores today to learn about their addiction treatment programs and get better relationship tips. They can help you heal your life and your relationships.

Tranquil Shores gives their clients the opportunity to dig deep and answer questions that may have been plaguing them for years. We treat the whole client, not just their substance abuse issues. Call today and reclaim your life!

Reviewed By
Chad Johnson is the founder and CEO of Tranquil Shores, a leading dual diagnosis treatment facility that was founded in 2009. Through Chad’s own personal experience he developed what he believed to be a successful model to treat individual’s with co-occurring disorders. Although there are many ways to address addiction, Chad believes that creating an individualized approach can lay the foundation for long term success in recovery. Chad understands the true consequences of addiction. Chad spent most his early adulthood in Dallas, Texas working for a successful Wall Street investment firm. With hard work came a high level of success. After a thirteen year career in finance, all of that changed. Chad’s addiction progressed to the point where he lost his job, family, and friends. He eventually found himself homeless and living in his car.

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