What's Stopping You?: Why Smart People Don't Always Reach Their Potential, and How You Can

When Partnerships Go Wrong

Of course, every element above is aimed at breaking the fall when the inevitable “day of disillusionment” arrives, says Jaffe.

This is a key moment for the High-FF, who may have gone into the partnership naively thinking his or her partner provided the props they lacked. Almost certainly, the disillusioned High-FF will focus on a perceived loss of trust – behaviours and actions by the other that have eroded what was probably an untenable level of trust or emotional investment in the first place.

Jaffe states that, at this point, you will probably focus your energies on getting your partner to change, an approach that will quickly have you in your corners – hurling insults and perhaps destroying any potential for salvation. ...