TW: mentions of abuse
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When you're in a committed relationship, mutual respect is an essential pillar of a healthy, fulfilling bond. Unfortunately, sometimes we share our lives with someone who doesn't fully respect us. You can feel it in your heart and see the signs in their behaviour. It's important to pay attention to the way they speak, and how they act around you, because lack of respect is seen not only in words, but also in actions.
Discover the signs that your partner doesn't respect you completely, so you can get a clearer picture of your relationship and preserve your emotional well-being.
What does respect mean?
Respect is a fundamental value that encompasses esteem, admiration and consideration for others. It is a profound feeling of recognition and consideration for a person's rights, needs, opinions, limitations and autonomy. This notion implies granting intrinsic value to each individual, regardless of their differences, life choices or beliefs.
Respecting someone means recognizing their dignity, worth and uniqueness as a human being. This manifests itself in a respectful attitude in interactions, avoiding hasty judgments, discrimination or lack of consideration towards others.
Respect also includes self-respect. It means taking care of our own needs, our mental and physical health, and our own integrity, while making sure not to infringe on the rights and well-being of others.
Read more:4 signs you’re with the wrong person
Respect is an essential element in a relationship
It's an essential element in any healthy, fulfilling relationship. Mutual respect helps build each partner's self-esteem. When you're respected, you feel valued, confident and able to express your needs, opinions and desires without fear of being judged or ridiculed.
This feeling promotes open and honest communication within the couple. Partners are more inclined to listen actively, to be open to understanding each other's points of view, and to resolve conflicts constructively.
Respect is closely linked to trust in a relationship. It allows us to feel emotionally secure, because we know we can count on our partner to support us and respect our limits.
Moreover, this notion enables each partner to maintain their individuality and autonomy. It means recognizing that each person has their own needs, interests and decision-making rights. Respect means neither controlling nor dictating the other's life, but rather mutually supporting personal choices and aspirations.
Respect creates a balanced emotional environment, where each partner's emotions are validated and listened to. This fosters a more harmonious relationship and reduces the risk of verbal, physical or emotional violence.
Read more:3 signs your relationship is over, according to experts
Signs that your partner doesn't respect you
There are several signs that the person you share your life with doesn't really respect you. This is what you should look out for.
Degrading words and criticism
Degrading, contemptuous or insulting remarks about you, your appearance, your opinions or your lifestyle choices, such as 'you should lose weight', 'you're too skinny', 'you'd look better with more breasts', 'you're stupid', 'think about it', 'that's stupid' are clear signs of disrespect on the part of your partner. They don't hesitate to put you down, which indicates a lack of consideration.
What's more, a partner who constantly criticizes your actions, decisions and achievements, without acknowledging your efforts or qualities, doesn't show you the respect you deserve. Constant criticism is devaluating. By criticizing you, your partner considers their own opinions and ways of doing things to be superior, creating an unbalanced and hurtful power dynamic.
Your partner doesn't recognize your efforts. They don't appreciate and value your achievements, progress or contributions, which can lead to a loss of motivation and self-esteem. Criticism can actually raise doubts, create a sense of shame or inadequacy, and lead to a deterioration in the recipient's self-confidence.
Lack of listening skills
When you're in a relationship, it's vital that both partners feel listened to and are attentive to each other. Conversely, a lack of listening can lead to neglect of your emotional and physical needs. Your partner may not take into account what's important to you, which can create an imbalance in the relationship.
Active, empathetic listening is an essential component of respect. When your partner doesn't listen to you, they show a lack of consideration for your experiences and perspectives.
What's more, if your partner isn't paying attention to what you're saying, communication is one-way. In effect, your partner monopolizes the conversation and doesn't give you the opportunity to express your thoughts and ideas. This creates a power imbalance and a feeling of non-validation. It can also indicate an imbalance in the relationship, where your partner's needs and concerns are privileged while yours are ignored, belittled.
Minimizing your feelings
This goes hand in hand with a lack of listening. If your partner doesn't take your feelings into account, doesn't try to find out how you feel, or doesn't listen when you tell them, it's a clear lack of respect. Expressing your feelings isn't easy, for some people it takes a lot of effort, and when you do find the courage to communicate them, the least you can do is ensure that the person in your life is receptive. You can't be fulfilled in a relationship where the person you love constantly minimizes what you're feeling, whether it's joy, sadness, love, anguish, etc. This is tantamount to invalidating these feelings that are so important to you. This leads to invalidating the feelings that stir within you and make you who you are.
A couple is built on communication, but also on each partner's ability to respond to the other's emotional needs. This is a major aspect in the future of your relationship.
Violation of limits
Respect means recognizing and respecting the autonomy of each individual, including in a couple's relationship. When your partner violates your boundaries, they are ignoring your right to decide what is acceptable to you, thereby infringing on your autonomy and consent.
Your personal boundaries, whether emotional, physical or psychological, are an essential part of your personal integrity. By overstepping your boundaries, your man or woman shows a lack of respect for you.
When your boundaries are violated, it can have detrimental consequences for your emotional, physical and mental well-being. You may feel invaded, abused or neglected, which can affect your self-esteem and personal fulfillment.
Lies and deception
Trust is an essential element in any relationship. Lying and deceit are a violation of trust, and therefore a lack of respect.
Whether it's a lie or deception, it shatters the trust necessary for a relationship to be healthy and long-lasting. By acting deceptively, your partner denies your right to the truth and deprives you of the trust needed to build and maintain a solid relationship. This involves a conscious decision to conceal information or actions against you.
What's more, if your partner lies or cheats on you, you feel devalued and humiliated. These behaviours suggest that your partner isn't giving you the respect you need to treat you with dignity and honesty.
Excessive control
Excessive controlling behaviour, such as dictating your actions, limiting your social interactions or monitoring your movements, is particularly problematic in a relationship. This need for control restricts your freedom and your ability to make your own decisions. Your partner seeks to exert power and control over you, which fails to recognize your fundamental right to autonomy and individuality.
In doing so, it invades your privacy by seeking out every detail of your actions, relationships and activities. It doesn't respect your need for confidentiality and privacy.
In addition, excessive control can include emotionally manipulative tactics such as guilt-tripping, threats or intimidation. These behaviours degrade your self-esteem and create an unhealthy power imbalance in the relationship.
It also indicates a lack of trust in you on the part of your partner. It questions your integrity and suggests that your partner doesn't see you as someone capable of making reasonable decisions.
Lack of support
Two partners who love each other support each other every day. It's one of the foundations of a lasting relationship. It's important to support each other, especially in difficult times, to build a solid relationship. A couple is a team that supports and encourages each other. So, if your partner doesn't support you in the crucial moments of your life, this indicates a lack of attention and consideration for your feelings, needs and experiences.
When they don't support you, they may minimize or ignore your concerns, indicating that they don't consider their importance to you. This can make you feel neglected and unappreciated.
In short, it's important to note that these signs can exist in varying degrees, and that they shouldn't be taken in isolation, but as a whole. If you notice several of these signs in your relationship, it may be necessary to reassess its dynamics and consider measures to preserve your emotional well-being and dignity.
Read more:4 dating red flags you should look out for according to experts
