How To Get Along With A Passive-Aggressive Husband

Trying to get along with your husband may be a huge problem in your marriage if he is passive-aggressive. A passive-aggressive man has a very hard time solving problems, primarily because he interprets everything you say as a criticism. If you are living with a husband like this, here are three tips to help you get along and have the ability to state your feelings.

Understand the traits

A passive-aggressive man believes he can do nothing right, even though this is not true. Many men that are this way grew up in homes with very strict, domineering parents that made them believe they were being judged solely on performance alone. Because of this, they grew up feeling like they could never succeed at anything, and this is why they take things so personally.

Men like this cannot state how they feel in words that make sense; and in many cases, they are unable to even understand how they feel. They keep their feelings locked away, but their anger comes out whenever they interpret your words as critical statements. They are great at turning situations around to avoid blame, and they are unlikely to ever take responsibility for their actions and wrongdoings. They will blame their wives instead and will rarely be able to see things from a "normal" perspective.

Don't lose your cool

By understanding how your husband thinks and will respond, you have to choose to remain cool at all times. You can sit down and express your feelings about an issue to him, but you should not try to change his mind about how he feels. In fact, there is nothing you can do to make him think differently. If you get angry from his confusing response, it will only make the situation worse. You will need to learn how to simply state the facts and leave it at that. Let him say what he wants, but do not provoke an argument or get angry during the conversation.

Praise him for small things

It may seem like an endless battle living with a passive-aggressive husband, because no matter what you do he will not stay consistent or even remember things accurately, but there will be times he does things right. No matter how small the things are that he does right, you must praise him. One of the only ways for a passive-aggressive man to change is through encouragement and praise.

If you are having trouble in your marriage because of this, it might be wise to seek help from a marriage counselor, such as at Living Hope Clinic. You can go to counseling alone, or you can ask your husband to go with you.