8 Ways to Ruin a Marriage

My wife, Ashley, and I have interacted with married couples from all over the world. Many of these couples are healthy and thriving, but many others remain stuck in a perpetual state of dysfunction. Some of them have been living in the dysfunction for so long that they don’t even think anything is wrong. Ruining a marriage seems tragically “normal” these days. It’s remarkable what can start feeling “normal” if it goes on long enough!

I’m not a Psychologist, so I’m hesitant to give anything that looks like a diagnosis, but over the years, I’ve seen some clear patterns in marital behavior, and I believe these “dysfunctions” below represent some of the most common marriage mistakes. If you find yourself stuck in any (or all) of these patterns, you don’t have to stay stuck! Take immediate action to replace the dysfunction with health. We have an online program specifically for couples in crisis at FightingForMyMarriage.com.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but here are eight of the most common dysfunctional marriage types which represent the “8 Ways to Ruin a Marriage” (in no particular order):