Family social science professor Bill Doherty spoke to Psychology Today about how couples’ expectations of marriage — and what they feel they “should” be getting — can affect the health of the relationship and often lead to divorce.
Doherty speaks to the idea of entitlement in American consumer culture, and how that can translate to marital problems. “We believe in our inalienable right to the intimate relationships of our choice,” says Doherty. “[People] badger their partners to change, convince themselves nothing will budge, and so work their way out of really good relationships.”