Election Anxiety in Relationships and Aftermath

A stressed couple

Source: Pexels, Ars Vertica

Election tension in the USA continues after voting day. In addition, policy can affect relationships. From casual friendships to lovers, it’s not just the candidate selection that seems sad, but what happens afterwards. Even an uncontested election would make about half of the nation unhappy.

In relationships, dissatisfaction with the election outcome can reflect or amplify disagreements between couples and families.

romantic relationships works best in politically similar situations

According to a study included in the report magazine Personality and Social Psychology, Researchers looked at data from more than 4,000 people, including more than 500 couples, to see how common it is for spouses to differ politically, what factors might lead to such differences, and how these differences affect relationships. “They found that only 23 percent of couples had different political party affiliations, and less than 8 percent consisted of a Democrat and a Republican.” (Gordon and colleagues, 2024)

In another report Human Communication Research“People in politically similar romantic relationships are more satisfied with their relationships and more politically engaged than those in dissimilar relationships.” (Peacock and colleagues, 2022)

However, Frangmeier and colleagues, 2020, found in their study analysis that Republicans paired with Democrats tended to report significantly lower relationship adjustment than when paired with Republicans. “Implications for political differences between close partners and clinical studies around these themes are discussed,” the report said. The statement was included.

In reviewing the research, it seems that relationship stability may be a determining factor in compatibility and ability to withstand political differences.

A notable exception to similar political histories

a notable exception stressful The pairing of a Republican and a Democrat can be seen in the relationships of Mary Matalin and George Carville. In their book Love and War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and a Louisiana House, They discover their work and their love.

Although he is a Republican strategist and she is an outspoken Democrat and highly critical of members of the GOP, the two have a house full of cats in New Orleans. He loves them, she doesn’t. When asked what keeps their family together, the immediate answer is “Love.”

As political concerns become more intense during election times, it is difficult to focus on the relationship itself and the decisions made to keep it healthy. wise choice.

7 steps to get a relationship back on track

When political or other disagreements arise:

Identify the problem or conflict.
Consider the pros and cons of your feelings about the conflict.
Put aside your differences and identify what you have in common.
Consider the reasons you are grateful for your spouse, friends, or family.
Focus on love and gratitude.
Consider how you can make peace with the outcome of a situation, or even a choice, if it is not what you wanted.
Ask yourself if there is a compromise; that is, a way to please yourself and others without compromising your values.

Inside decision making Women who hid their emotions in groups later admitted that they were afraid of making the wrong decision. Most of the time, when asked what they meant by “wrong decision,” they said they were afraid their decision would not please others.

The value of record keeping and intuition

To increase decision making confidentKeeping a diary is useful. It will also guide you and give you an insight into current decision-making patterns. stressful and how to cope with these stresses. While logical steps combined with intuition are valuable in decision-making, it is your intuition that will give you confidence.

Related Posts