True or False. Isolating someone from their family or friends, dictating who they can see or hang out with is a sign of abuse in a relationship. 

True

True or False. Dating violence occurs when a male engages in destructive behaviors used to exert power and control over a female dating partner.

False. Dating violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation or background. Dating violence occurs when a partner engages in destructive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner. 

Putting you down, name calling, embarassing you in public, threatening you, and trying to control you are signs of what kind of abuse. 

Verbal/Emotional abuse

True or False. Forcing your partner to share passwords for social medial, email, etc. is a sign of a healthy boundary. 

False

Communicating in this way, instead of texting or emailing about serious issues can prevent unnecessary miscommunications or misinterpretations. 

Face to face, or in-person

A complaint focuses on a specific behavior, while a criticism attacks the character of the person. Which of these two is okay for healthy relationships? 

Complaint. There are always going to be things that we don't like. What's important is that we complain without placing blame on our partner. For example, instead of saying, "You never wash the dishes, you are so lazy," say, "I feel tired when I come home from late on Tuesdays. Can you wash the dishes Tuesdays?" 

If you're feeling overwhelmed by a conversation, doing this wil actually help your body calm down by lowering your heart rate and can ultimately lead to more productive conversations. 

Taking a break. Research has found that taking at least a 20 minute break during a stressful/overwhelming argument can help you calm down and re-focus on the important issues. If we don't take breaks when needed, we run the risk of either exploding (yelling, saying things we don't mean) or imploding (retreating, stop listening, shutting down). 

This is defined as self-protection in an attempt to ward off a perceived attack and is not a healthy type of communication.

Defensivness. It is natural to try to verbally defend yourself when you feel verbally attacked. This rarely results in positive outcomes, as it is really a way of blaming your partner. Try to take ownership of your role in things while also highlighting your needs. 

True or False. Even the most sucecssful relationships have conflict. 

True

This type of attack occurs when your partner attacks something about who you are as a person instead of an aspect of the argument. For example, "You're so stupid for liking that kind of music." This attack is sign of unhealthy conflict resolution. 

Personal Attack 

This is something that is easier said that done. It is an important part of conflict resoltuion and involves finding a middle ground that can allow both of you to feel satisfied with the outcome. 

Compromising 

If you and your partner can't resolve an issue, and if it's not an issue that is super important to you. It may be best to... 

Agree to disagree