GAMES FOR PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE COUPLES – GAME 5: PSYCHO SURPRISE (PART 2)
What happens next may vary. The passive spouse may continue to stand gaping, and the aggressive one may walk out of the bathroom—and only later will they talk about it. Or the passive one may become angry and reprimand the aggressive spouse. Or the episode may lead to a wild lovemaking scene in the bathroom. In any event, something out of the ordinary will happen.
È all goes according to plan, the passive spouse will be provoked out of his or her passivity, and will express the real anger and hate that underpins the passive-defensive posture. Since that person already views the spouse as a monster, this scene sets off—even exaggerates—this fantasy, forcing the passive to recognize and verbalize what was formerly secretly thought. It also provides the “psycho” spouse with a way of expressing her or his anger at the passive spouse in a constructive way (a way that has a humorous undertone and leads to resolution) rather than through destructive sarcasm, guilt-tripping, or temper tantrums.
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