Welcome to "Road to Romance" 00:00:24.19\00:00:25.52 I'm your host, Dr. John Jacob. 00:00:25.55\00:00:27.49 Jennifer, Kory, Kimberly, welcome! Thank you 00:00:27.52\00:00:30.66 Today we will be discussing "conflict resolution," 00:00:30.69\00:00:33.13 a very, very important topic for couples, as you know. 00:00:33.16\00:00:36.70 Some of the latest research is showing that you 00:00:36.73\00:00:39.00 can look at just how couples resolve conflict 00:00:39.03\00:00:42.64 to determine whether or not the marriage, the relationship 00:00:42.67\00:00:45.54 has a chance at all. 00:00:45.57\00:00:47.41 So I asked you to fill out some forms for me 00:00:47.44\00:00:51.88 that would give me some information. 00:00:51.91\00:00:53.55 I know you had no idea what you were filling out except that 00:00:53.58\00:00:56.35 some of the questions looked familiar, right? Um hum 00:00:56.38\00:00:58.95 But I kind of sneaked in two extra questions to give me 00:00:58.99\00:01:01.52 some extra information without alerting you, 00:01:01.56\00:01:03.16 you know, to what I was doing. 00:01:03.19\00:01:04.79 But basically, you answered two questions that will tell me 00:01:04.83\00:01:07.83 how you resolve conflict, and also, whether or not 00:01:07.86\00:01:11.73 you are comfortable with adapting or adopting 00:01:11.77\00:01:15.80 in a relationship and we'll explain that. 00:01:15.84\00:01:18.07 So, Jennifer, let's start with you. Okay! 00:01:18.11\00:01:20.54 All right, the first question was: 00:01:20.58\00:01:22.84 "If you're upset about something, 00:01:22.88\00:01:24.35 would you prefer to talk about it immediately 00:01:24.38\00:01:27.68 until the problem was resolved? Yes 00:01:27.72\00:01:29.92 And you resoundingly said "yes" to that. Absolutely! 00:01:29.95\00:01:33.12 Okay, you're an XX and that's very typical. 00:01:33.15\00:01:36.93 Chances are that your husband, 00:01:36.96\00:01:38.56 being a YY - might not feel exactly the same way. 00:01:38.59\00:01:41.76 Can tell me how that works? 00:01:41.80\00:01:44.00 Absolutely so and as you rightly said, I, most of the times, 00:01:44.03\00:01:49.37 would want to resolve it or talk about it. Right 00:01:49.40\00:01:52.64 While my spouse, he prefers to, "I'm not going to deal with this 00:01:52.67\00:01:58.95 right now, I'm going to just let it settle a little bit, 00:01:58.98\00:02:02.85 and I'm going to come back to the table with this," 00:02:02.88\00:02:05.39 and I'm like, "No, no, no, no, no, let's get this out 00:02:05.42\00:02:07.42 and deal with it and done with it," so, yeah, absolutely so. 00:02:07.46\00:02:11.09 Okay, so that is true with you. Yeah 00:02:11.13\00:02:13.29 The other question we asked: 00:02:13.33\00:02:14.73 "Would you prefer to adapt much or adjust 00:02:14.76\00:02:17.30 to someone in a relationship?" 00:02:17.33\00:02:18.77 And you said, "For us, which means that you have no problem 00:02:18.80\00:02:22.50 adjusting." Correct 00:02:22.54\00:02:23.87 Relationships obviously thrive when two people 00:02:23.91\00:02:27.08 are willing to make the adjustments 00:02:27.11\00:02:28.44 because no two people are exactly alike. Absolutely! 00:02:28.48\00:02:31.38 So, I'll explain to you why you have that difference 00:02:31.41\00:02:36.25 between you and your husband with regard to the 00:02:36.28\00:02:38.52 conflict as we go along. 00:02:38.55\00:02:40.12 Let's turn to Kimberly! 00:02:40.16\00:02:42.22 Kimberly, let's see what you said. 00:02:42.26\00:02:45.19 If you're upset about something, you would prefer to 00:02:45.23\00:02:48.00 talk about it immediately, and he said, "No," 00:02:48.03\00:02:50.83 and Kory is shaking his head which means 00:02:50.87\00:02:52.83 he completely totally agrees with you. 00:02:52.87\00:02:55.14 So Kory, I should just ask you - that's a no? 00:02:55.17\00:02:58.81 She would prefer not to, yeah? No? Probably not. 00:02:58.84\00:03:01.54 Yeah? Okay. 00:03:01.58\00:03:03.81 And as far as adapting, you said that you would 00:03:03.85\00:03:06.21 prefer not to adapt if you could help it. 00:03:06.25\00:03:09.48 I mean, we all know that we have to adapt in a relationship, 00:03:09.52\00:03:12.59 but you prefer NOT TO. 00:03:12.62\00:03:14.36 Change is not really my best friend, but it's something 00:03:14.39\00:03:19.56 you know, you do because you know that in order to make 00:03:19.59\00:03:22.73 things work, you have to give and take. 00:03:22.76\00:03:24.77 So if I had a preference, you know, I would 00:03:24.80\00:03:30.27 keep things as they are, but because it's not all about 00:03:30.31\00:03:33.07 my preference, then you have to adjust. 00:03:33.11\00:03:36.58 Remember on a previous program, we had the list and stasis 00:03:36.61\00:03:41.35 or sameness was on the list. 00:03:41.38\00:03:43.28 Remember you are borderline in terms of your personality 00:03:43.32\00:03:47.16 which means that, more than Kory, you would prefer 00:03:47.19\00:03:50.56 to, as you said, maintain the status quo as much as possible, 00:03:50.59\00:03:53.80 and Kory, you need to know that that is her MO most of the time. 00:03:53.83\00:03:58.00 Right? Well, let's take a look at Kory's case. 00:03:58.03\00:03:59.93 Kory, you said, "Yes, you prefer to resolve the conflict 00:04:00.64\00:04:05.17 right away and you agree with that, right? Um hm 00:04:05.21\00:04:07.84 Okay, let's see what you said for "adapting." 00:04:07.88\00:04:12.18 You prefer to not have to adapt too much. 00:04:12.21\00:04:16.92 No, no, I don't mind adapting. You don't mind adapting. 00:04:16.95\00:04:18.99 I think I circled "no" by accident. 00:04:19.02\00:04:20.36 Oh, all right, okay. Yes 00:04:20.39\00:04:22.29 So okay, so you don't mind adapting. 00:04:22.32\00:04:24.13 Again, Xs have a much easier time with adjusting 00:04:24.16\00:04:27.50 and making, you know, adaptations. 00:04:27.53\00:04:29.96 So, what we need to do next is explain 00:04:30.00\00:04:33.10 why we have this difference. 00:04:33.13\00:04:35.00 As you know, Xs are comfortable with words, 00:04:35.04\00:04:40.08 using words for everything... 00:04:40.11\00:04:41.54 whereas Y-types or low Xs are not. 00:04:41.58\00:04:45.35 So XY couples usually have difficulty with the whole 00:04:45.38\00:04:48.92 conflict resolution problem. 00:04:48.95\00:04:50.85 Just because of that, words are not your currency, 00:04:50.89\00:04:54.19 so you would prefer not to use words to solve problems. 00:04:54.22\00:04:57.46 Of course, Kory, the problem is how do you solve a problem 00:04:57.49\00:04:59.89 that you can't talk about, you know... Right 00:04:59.93\00:05:03.00 That is a big problem. 00:05:03.03\00:05:04.37 Now you guys are both Xs, if you recall in your results. 00:05:04.40\00:05:07.80 But what we've noticed is, you don't have to be an 00:05:07.84\00:05:09.87 XY couple per se to have this problem. 00:05:09.90\00:05:13.11 All you need is to have one person that is more 00:05:13.14\00:05:15.74 of an X communicator than the other 00:05:15.78\00:05:17.25 which is what you guys have right now. 00:05:17.28\00:05:19.75 So what we'll do is, we'll turn to the slide 00:05:19.78\00:05:21.28 so I can show you what's going on with the conflict resolution. 00:05:21.32\00:05:23.79 So this is called a pursuer and distancer problem, 00:05:25.25\00:05:32.06 and now it has a more technical name and the name that 00:05:32.09\00:05:34.76 scientists and therapists would use is called, 00:05:34.80\00:05:38.17 "a negative feedback loop." Okay 00:05:38.20\00:05:41.00 You'll understand where the negativity 00:05:41.04\00:05:42.70 comes in, in just a minute. 00:05:42.74\00:05:44.24 So what actually happens is, and I'm going to use you guys 00:05:44.27\00:05:47.58 as an example... 00:05:47.61\00:05:49.11 Kory, you would like to talk about something to resolve it. 00:05:49.14\00:05:52.71 Now the reason why you need resolution is because 00:05:52.75\00:05:55.28 if you don't have it, it raises your anxiety level. 00:05:55.32\00:05:58.32 They've actually tested couples and actually drawn blood 00:05:58.35\00:06:02.49 and found that your cortisol levels rise when there's a 00:06:02.52\00:06:06.56 conflict that isn't being resolved. Um hm 00:06:06.59\00:06:08.86 So then you go to Kimberly and you say "Let's talk about this." 00:06:08.90\00:06:12.13 So we have anxiety first in the feedback loop 00:06:12.17\00:06:15.64 and then you go to her and she feels a little provoked 00:06:15.67\00:06:20.78 because she would prefer to sweep it under the rug. 00:06:20.81\00:06:24.45 Now we have two types of distancers. 00:06:24.48\00:06:27.48 We have distancers who would sweep it under the rug, 00:06:27.52\00:06:29.85 think about it, you know, just turn it around 00:06:29.88\00:06:32.65 in their minds and then come back with a solution, 00:06:32.69\00:06:35.86 but we have a lot of distancers who just want it to go away. 00:06:35.89\00:06:40.30 So they would sweep that as far away and hope that you 00:06:40.33\00:06:42.70 never remember - that's the trick, that's the plan. 00:06:42.73\00:06:45.23 Hopefully, you will forget and that's their resolution, 00:06:45.27\00:06:48.10 anything that's out of sight is out of mind and resolved, 00:06:48.14\00:06:51.41 but not for you. 00:06:51.44\00:06:52.77 So she would feel like you are provoking and then 00:06:52.81\00:06:55.51 you're maintaining the behavior of the other person 00:06:55.54\00:06:57.65 if you go along with it. 00:06:57.68\00:06:59.01 So here is what this says... 00:06:59.05\00:07:00.38 Ys experience anxiety when approached to resolve conflict. 00:07:00.42\00:07:03.52 They've actually found that when Kory approaches you 00:07:03.55\00:07:06.12 to resolve something you would like to sweep away, 00:07:06.15\00:07:09.22 then your anxiety level rises., and so you withdraw. 00:07:09.26\00:07:15.10 You might withdraw by freezing up and not answering. 00:07:15.50\00:07:19.27 You might withdraw by going into another room. 00:07:19.30\00:07:22.14 You might change the topic of conversation 00:07:22.17\00:07:24.77 to something entirely different, something that you hope 00:07:24.81\00:07:27.34 will be more interesting to him, but you do anything 00:07:27.38\00:07:30.31 other than talk about it because 00:07:30.35\00:07:32.05 that would raise your anxiety level. 00:07:32.08\00:07:33.92 So what do you think happens next? 00:07:33.95\00:07:36.32 We both go crazy. Yeah! Laughter 00:07:36.35\00:07:40.29 Well, before that, what happens next is you don't give up 00:07:40.32\00:07:44.93 because now your anxiety level is rising over the fact that 00:07:44.96\00:07:48.56 she is not resolving... 00:07:48.60\00:07:50.33 So you push a little further and there is where she begins to 00:07:50.37\00:07:53.40 feel provoked... 00:07:53.44\00:07:55.00 You push, her anxiety level rises. 00:07:55.04\00:07:57.97 So it keeps going in a loop where it's escalating. 00:07:58.01\00:08:01.24 It's going, it's getting higher and higher, 00:08:01.28\00:08:03.08 and if you keep pushing, she keeps feeling more 00:08:03.11\00:08:05.45 pressured and we go in a loop until... 00:08:05.48\00:08:08.12 what do you think happens? 00:08:08.15\00:08:09.88 Maybe not with Kimberly, but with a lot of distancers 00:08:09.92\00:08:13.25 they get to the point where they explode. 00:08:13.29\00:08:15.86 They explode because you are not reading the signals 00:08:15.89\00:08:19.36 that say "stop," i.e., "I'm feeling a lot of 00:08:19.39\00:08:21.50 pressure, I'm having a lot of anxiety, 00:08:21.53\00:08:23.50 could we talk about this another time," 00:08:23.53\00:08:25.27 and you're not stopping because your anxiety 00:08:25.30\00:08:27.24 level is also rising. 00:08:27.27\00:08:28.60 You know, it's interesting, I've tried to stop, 00:08:28.64\00:08:31.01 and I'll walk away, I'll leave the room, 00:08:31.04\00:08:34.01 and I can feel my blood pressure rise and I have to turn back, 00:08:34.04\00:08:37.18 and go back and try again, honestly... 00:08:37.21\00:08:39.08 Because I know she has a problem, you know, 00:08:39.11\00:08:41.18 dealing with it right away, but I cannot walk away. 00:08:41.22\00:08:44.62 I've tried, but it doesn't last more than 5 or 6 seconds. 00:08:44.65\00:08:47.56 Laughter... Okay. Wow. 00:08:47.59\00:08:50.69 Well you guys definitely understand 00:08:50.73\00:08:52.36 what this loop is all about. 00:08:52.39\00:08:53.90 So does it mean, for instance, because as much as I don't 00:08:53.93\00:08:57.83 prefer to talk about something right away, 00:08:57.87\00:09:01.10 we do end up dealing with... I mean, lately we do end up 00:09:01.14\00:09:04.67 dealing with the situation then. 00:09:04.71\00:09:07.04 Does it mean that his X is more dominant? 00:09:07.08\00:09:12.31 In other words, why is it that, for instance, 00:09:12.35\00:09:15.48 in our case, we don't just leave it as my preference 00:09:15.52\00:09:19.85 would be, but we deal with it right away 00:09:19.89\00:09:22.19 as his preference is, does that make sense? 00:09:22.22\00:09:24.46 Oh... so you're asking why is it resolved in his way. Yes 00:09:24.49\00:09:29.73 Well, if I can leave you most of the time, it would be 70-75%. 00:09:29.76\00:09:34.27 Probably higher than that. 00:09:34.30\00:09:35.64 Well chances are... Okay, remember we have 00:09:35.67\00:09:37.67 we call it "pursuer and distancer," but let me give 00:09:37.71\00:09:40.54 you some of the other terms that are used more frequently... 00:09:40.58\00:09:43.95 "engager, demand and withdrawal," 00:09:43.98\00:09:47.75 to describe the same cycle, "confronter and ignorer," 00:09:47.78\00:09:53.09 and, of course, "pursuer and distancer." 00:09:53.12\00:09:55.56 So, depending on your personalities and just the 00:09:55.59\00:09:59.43 strength of your personality, he can come across more as 00:09:59.46\00:10:03.77 demanding that it gets resolved than you are. 00:10:03.80\00:10:07.40 So the person that is more demanding that the thing be 00:10:07.44\00:10:09.90 resolved in their way, well that's pretty much 00:10:09.94\00:10:12.37 how it's going to go... Okay 00:10:12.41\00:10:13.74 Also the person that is experiencing the high anxiety 00:10:13.78\00:10:16.61 Because if you listen to what Kory said, "He tries, 00:10:16.64\00:10:19.51 and 5 or 6 seconds and he has to turn around, right? 00:10:19.55\00:10:22.58 and he has to come back to you because the anxiety 00:10:22.62\00:10:24.39 is pushing him a lot more than your anxiety. Um hm 00:10:24.42\00:10:28.26 Now as it turns out, especially for you, but also for Kory 00:10:28.29\00:10:31.73 because he actually feels that anxiety... 00:10:31.76\00:10:33.29 If you guys decided to leave it alone and just drop it, 00:10:33.33\00:10:36.23 after the anxiety is felt, it takes about 20 minutes 00:10:36.26\00:10:41.20 for your body levels, in terms of anxiety and cortisol levels, 00:10:41.24\00:10:45.31 it takes about 20 minutes for it to go back to baseline, 00:10:45.34\00:10:47.61 for it to go back to normal, 20 minutes! 00:10:47.64\00:10:50.15 Even if you dropped it. 00:10:50.18\00:10:52.11 So this is just to give you a sense of how strong 00:10:52.15\00:10:54.35 this emotion is and what it's doing hormonally in your body. 00:10:54.38\00:10:58.35 Now, I want to say that I know how you feel, 00:10:58.39\00:11:01.82 you don't want that push every time, 00:11:01.86\00:11:04.69 but Kory, this one is going to surprise you... 00:11:04.73\00:11:07.40 What the science is saying is that the distancers 00:11:07.43\00:11:10.07 actually have sometimes a better chance of arriving at 00:11:10.10\00:11:14.74 a better solution because when you push something under the 00:11:14.77\00:11:19.07 rug, your brain - the subconscious in your brain 00:11:19.11\00:11:21.74 actually has a chance to work on the problem, 00:11:21.78\00:11:24.25 and arrive at a better solution than X-types would come up with 00:11:24.28\00:11:29.05 because you want to resolve it right away, 00:11:29.08\00:11:30.52 but maybe you haven't thought about it - thought it through 00:11:30.55\00:11:32.92 enough to really come up with the best solution. 00:11:32.95\00:11:35.79 So, we can't knock wives too hard because wives 00:11:35.82\00:11:38.86 actually have a system that allows them to have their 00:11:38.89\00:11:42.53 brain do some of the heavy lifting. Okay? 00:11:42.56\00:11:45.77 Also keep in mind that a lot of people find themselves 00:11:45.80\00:11:48.54 in that loop, especially X- types. 00:11:48.57\00:11:51.87 They're in that loop because there is no other way for them 00:11:51.91\00:11:56.14 to actually get conversation from their partners. 00:11:56.18\00:11:59.91 You ask a lot of Xs - why do you keep going like this 00:11:59.95\00:12:03.65 if you know that it's causing anxiety and they say, 00:12:03.69\00:12:05.15 "You know, I have no other way to get my husband to talk to me. 00:12:05.19\00:12:07.02 We have to start a fight, there's no other way." 00:12:07.06\00:12:10.09 But this is vitally important, you guys have to keep 00:12:10.13\00:12:12.86 working at finding a compromise. 00:12:12.89\00:12:14.63 Kory maybe 5 seconds... yeah, maybe you could 00:12:14.66\00:12:18.47 stretch it a little bit to 20 minutes. Yeah 00:12:18.50\00:12:20.07 So she has a little extra time and it's something that 00:12:20.10\00:12:23.00 is going to take a lot of practice from the two of you, 00:12:23.04\00:12:27.08 but you have to keep trying. 00:12:27.11\00:12:29.01 You have to keep trying because if you do the withdrawing, 00:12:29.04\00:12:31.21 and you do the avoiding, it actually reinforces in your 00:12:31.25\00:12:34.78 mind that this is the way you need to resolve a conflict, 00:12:34.82\00:12:37.02 and it's not healthy, not going to get anything accomplished. 00:12:37.05\00:12:39.32 There's something you said in a previous program 00:12:39.35\00:12:41.19 to us, that I thought about just now too, 00:12:41.22\00:12:43.12 but knowing how much time she needs because there are 00:12:43.16\00:12:45.63 times where we're with the whole day and it's still not 00:12:45.66\00:12:48.23 enough time, but to me, I'm thinking, 00:12:48.26\00:12:49.60 it's the end of the day, you know, 00:12:49.63\00:12:51.23 and at least we should be able to talk about it now, 00:12:51.27\00:12:52.97 so maybe I need to find out how much time is needed as well. 00:12:53.00\00:12:55.60 Very often, they need to sleep on it. Um hm 00:12:55.64\00:12:58.17 So if you try to give her a night, 00:12:58.21\00:13:01.54 if you can hold out that long, you give her a night, 00:13:01.58\00:13:04.68 and then you come the next day. 00:13:04.71\00:13:06.05 I have a question... how do you avoid the loop 00:13:06.51\00:13:09.08 altogether or is that possible? It's not possible. 00:13:09.12\00:13:11.35 Oh man... But next time, we'll talk about 00:13:11.39\00:13:13.52 ways to resolve the issue. 00:13:13.56\00:13:15.19 Kisha, Jason, Jameelah, welcome! Thank you 00:13:19.79\00:13:23.40 Today we will be discussing "conflict resolution." 00:13:23.43\00:13:26.33 You've filled out a form for me and I'm going to 00:13:26.37\00:13:29.54 share the results with you. 00:13:29.57\00:13:31.31 We asked a few questions, I'll start with Kisha. 00:13:31.34\00:13:37.71 If you're upset about something, would you prefer 00:13:38.98\00:13:42.62 to talk about it immediately until the problem is resolved, 00:13:42.65\00:13:46.02 and you said, "yes," is that correct? 00:13:46.05\00:13:48.62 Yeah for the most part, I just want to get it resolved. 00:13:48.66\00:13:52.99 You know, I don't want to sit on it, if we are there 00:13:53.03\00:13:56.53 having the conversation, I would hate for the other 00:13:56.56\00:13:59.00 person to walk away if we are in the middle talking, 00:13:59.03\00:14:01.84 so I want to be able to talk it out right there and then. 00:14:01.87\00:14:05.04 Right, the reason why I asked this question is simply because 00:14:05.07\00:14:08.68 most of our married couples have a difficult time with 00:14:08.71\00:14:13.18 conflict resolution. 00:14:13.21\00:14:14.65 The belief that used to be that a good marriage has 00:14:14.68\00:14:18.19 no conflict whatsoever... 00:14:18.22\00:14:19.82 Well, the latest research is showing that that is 00:14:19.85\00:14:22.12 absolutely not true. 00:14:22.16\00:14:23.56 We have a lot of marriages with conflict 00:14:23.59\00:14:25.46 and they're doing just fine. 00:14:25.49\00:14:26.83 The problem is, you've got to be willing to resolve 00:14:26.86\00:14:29.20 the conflict in the same way and about the same time. 00:14:29.23\00:14:33.50 So some folks want to resolve it immediately, 00:14:33.54\00:14:36.54 and others want to wait maybe a day or two. 00:14:36.57\00:14:39.31 You want to make sure that you could come in the middle 00:14:39.34\00:14:41.14 and resolve it at the same time. 00:14:41.18\00:14:42.68 But what the science is showing is that that pattern 00:14:42.71\00:14:45.35 starts before you get married. 00:14:45.38\00:14:47.58 So while you're looking for someone, 00:14:47.62\00:14:49.28 you need to be keeping your eyes open to whether or not 00:14:49.32\00:14:52.35 you guys have the same idea that you're on the same page 00:14:52.39\00:14:56.76 with regard to how you resolve conflict. 00:14:56.79\00:14:58.49 If you should meet a guy and he says to you up front, 00:14:58.53\00:15:02.00 "You know I don't want to talk about that," 00:15:02.03\00:15:04.30 and every day you approach him, "I don't want to 00:15:04.33\00:15:06.77 talk about that, that's too much confrontation," 00:15:06.80\00:15:08.40 then you need to think twice. Yeah 00:15:08.44\00:15:10.44 So that's how that was because you know that 00:15:10.47\00:15:11.94 you are the type of person you need to resolve it right away. 00:15:11.97\00:15:14.28 Yeah definitely, it just gets too burdensome 00:15:14.31\00:15:18.18 if we're not able to talk about it. 00:15:18.21\00:15:20.12 And I understand if we're both upset in the moment, 00:15:20.15\00:15:24.05 but if we can agree that we'll talk about it at a future time, 00:15:24.32\00:15:27.86 then yeah, that's fine. 00:15:27.89\00:15:29.39 So, I mean, it's important to find out. 00:15:29.42\00:15:31.33 Jason, let's see what you said... 00:15:31.36\00:15:33.96 If you're upset about something, you said you would want 00:15:34.00\00:15:36.73 to talk about it right away as well. 00:15:36.77\00:15:38.10 Yes, it's kind of a 50/50 thing though because 00:15:38.13\00:15:41.47 like if we're really upset, then we don't need to talk 00:15:41.50\00:15:45.01 about it right then, we need to go cool off 00:15:45.04\00:15:47.24 and then talk about it, but I want to get back to 00:15:47.28\00:15:49.34 being happy - so I want to talk about it as soon as possible. 00:15:49.38\00:15:53.58 And Jameelah, you also said that you would like to talk 00:15:53.62\00:15:57.85 about it pretty much right away? 00:15:57.89\00:15:59.22 Right, I mean, I agree with what Kisha and Jason have said 00:15:59.25\00:16:01.82 because I think that sometimes, depending on what you're 00:16:01.86\00:16:04.43 upset about, it's better to have a cool off period 00:16:04.46\00:16:06.83 and then talk about it because things get said 00:16:06.86\00:16:09.46 and some things may get thrown and then it's 00:16:09.50\00:16:12.13 a whole nother situation that doesn't need to be. Right 00:16:12.17\00:16:14.80 So I think it's always best to kind of gauge that, 00:16:14.84\00:16:18.44 but I do like to talk about it in that moment 00:16:18.47\00:16:20.94 to get it over with, get it done and let's keep moving forward. 00:16:20.98\00:16:23.95 Now you remember that you guys are all XX-type personalities, 00:16:23.98\00:16:29.48 and X-type personalities tend to have more of an inclination 00:16:29.52\00:16:36.66 to want to resolve things right away. 00:16:36.69\00:16:38.23 If you try to date a Y-type, 00:16:38.26\00:16:39.89 you're more likely to run into someone that says, 00:16:39.93\00:16:41.96 "I don't want to talk about this, let's push it under the 00:16:42.00\00:16:44.40 rug, let's just wait, let's talk about it tomorrow." 00:16:44.43\00:16:47.27 Hoping, of course, that you'll completely forget about it 00:16:47.30\00:16:49.37 and that's how they get things resolved because it's 00:16:49.40\00:16:52.11 out of sight, out of mind. 00:16:52.14\00:16:53.48 So again, this is another reason why you should try to date 00:16:53.51\00:16:56.14 as closely a personality type as possible. 00:16:56.18\00:16:59.08 But, you guys mentioned that you all were all single 00:16:59.11\00:17:02.45 which means that your real conflict that you're trying 00:17:02.48\00:17:04.69 to resolve right now has nothing to do with this, 00:17:04.72\00:17:06.99 but has to do with the fact that you need to figure out 00:17:07.02\00:17:09.89 how to find someone that is a good match for you, 00:17:09.92\00:17:12.16 someone that you could live with for the rest of your lives 00:17:12.19\00:17:14.13 and be happy. 00:17:14.16\00:17:15.66 So what I want to ask, starting from Kisha... 00:17:15.70\00:17:18.27 I would like to ask you to share with us a little bit about 00:17:18.30\00:17:20.90 your dating... I mean, how has this been going for you? 00:17:20.94\00:17:24.11 Well I'm 24, so I'm still young. 00:17:24.14\00:17:28.04 So I haven't dated a lot of men, but the experiences I have had 00:17:28.08\00:17:34.05 haven't been the best. 00:17:34.08\00:17:37.15 I've spent a lot of time giving a lot of myself 00:17:37.19\00:17:40.56 my time, my energy my money, and it just hasn't 00:17:40.59\00:17:46.86 worked out. All right. 00:17:46.90\00:17:48.80 And that's very typical, X- types are givers. 00:17:48.83\00:17:51.10 You guys are all givers, you will be inclined to give, 00:17:51.13\00:17:53.44 give, give and it's so perfect if you met someone that 00:17:53.47\00:17:56.00 gave you as much as you gave them, 00:17:56.04\00:17:57.81 then you have nothing to worry about, 00:17:57.84\00:17:59.17 but very often we are attracted to the opposite. 00:17:59.21\00:18:02.34 By the way, even in an XY world, opposites attract! 00:18:02.38\00:18:06.01 So you're likely to go after the Y-type folks who seem 00:18:06.05\00:18:10.12 very strong and very quiet, and very mysterious. 00:18:10.15\00:18:12.25 Jason, mysterious women tend to be very, very alluring, 00:18:12.29\00:18:15.92 very attractive until, of course, you get into the 00:18:15.96\00:18:18.69 relationship 2-3 months down the road and then when functional 00:18:18.73\00:18:21.80 spacing is gone and all of a sudden 00:18:21.83\00:18:23.23 you're wondering, "What did I do, how did I miss this one?" 00:18:23.26\00:18:25.40 Discover that mystery. Right 00:18:25.43\00:18:26.84 Tell us a little bit about your dating. 00:18:26.87\00:18:29.90 What has it been like for you? 00:18:29.94\00:18:31.27 Well it hasn't been going that well 00:18:31.31\00:18:32.77 because I'm single now. That's all right. 00:18:32.81\00:18:37.51 Like Kisha was saying, I'm a giver, I'm a caring 00:18:37.55\00:18:44.72 person, affectionate, loving, all of that stuff, 00:18:44.75\00:18:48.22 so, you know, sometimes kindness gets taken advantage of, 00:18:48.26\00:18:51.76 and then it gets taken for weakness. 00:18:51.79\00:18:53.83 That's what I've encountered and at the same time, 00:18:53.86\00:18:57.83 that I'm nice, I'm a nice guy, I'm not one to be walked over 00:18:57.87\00:19:01.44 or taken advantage of. 00:19:01.47\00:19:03.87 Do you have a strategy moving forward? 00:19:03.91\00:19:05.97 Yes... if they don't take this test, I'm not talking to them. 00:19:06.01\00:19:11.38 Laughter... That's a good idea! Right! Right! 00:19:11.41\00:19:15.15 Well said, well said! What about you Jameelah? 00:19:15.18\00:19:17.39 My experience actually has been different from Kisha and Jason. 00:19:17.42\00:19:20.56 I've had wonderful relationships, but a lot of them 00:19:20.59\00:19:23.83 have ended because of spiritual reasons. 00:19:23.86\00:19:26.13 I've never dated an Adventist before, and so, 00:19:26.16\00:19:29.43 I know I want to marry an Adventist man, 00:19:29.46\00:19:32.00 so that has always kind of been the issue and we've 00:19:32.03\00:19:36.91 always been very giving and very kind, but the spirituality, 00:19:36.94\00:19:41.94 I think, has always been the issue because then I 00:19:41.98\00:19:44.11 find myself explaining why I don't do things, 00:19:44.15\00:19:46.15 why I'm not going to do this or they ask me the same 00:19:46.18\00:19:48.58 question every Friday night... 00:19:48.62\00:19:50.82 "Well what are you doing tomorrow?" I'm going to church. 00:19:50.85\00:19:52.49 "Are you a Jehovah Witness?" 00:19:52.52\00:19:54.02 "I told you I'm Seventh-day Adventist, 00:19:54.06\00:19:55.92 I told you I'd be at church." "What time does it end?" 00:19:55.99\00:19:57.83 It's an all-day thing, you know, 00:19:57.86\00:20:00.16 so I'll talk to you later type-of-thing. 00:20:00.20\00:20:02.36 But I find myself having to explain that or having to 00:20:02.40\00:20:05.90 help them with the understanding of why I don't eat 00:20:05.93\00:20:09.44 certain things, why I don't wear certain things, 00:20:09.47\00:20:11.47 why I don't watch certain things... 00:20:11.51\00:20:13.07 And it's so much easier, I feel like to just have 00:20:13.11\00:20:15.48 somebody that is a match so an XX, but an Adventist XX, 00:20:15.51\00:20:20.15 I think, would be phenomenal. 00:20:20.18\00:20:21.72 And so that's kind of how dating has been for me. 00:20:21.75\00:20:27.22 So here's a difficult question... 00:20:27.26\00:20:28.66 How do you think you might go about finding 00:20:28.69\00:20:31.06 that Adventist XX guy, how? 00:20:31.09\00:20:34.83 Obviously, I go to church, clearly, but I think 00:20:34.86\00:20:39.13 that getting involved in different ministries, 00:20:39.17\00:20:42.70 as my friend, Kisha, suggested and doing things like that, 00:20:42.74\00:20:47.74 and kind of going to different churches and not staying 00:20:47.78\00:20:50.05 so siloed in my one church. 00:20:50.08\00:20:52.68 And really getting to know different people 00:20:52.71\00:20:54.68 and going to conferences, so I'm going to, 00:20:54.72\00:20:56.79 I think it's called "GYC?" 00:20:56.82\00:20:58.72 I've never been before, excited about it, 00:20:58.75\00:21:00.76 and so doing things like that, I think, will give me 00:21:00.79\00:21:03.83 more exposure to other Adventist people 00:21:03.86\00:21:07.66 in different churches, and even going to different 00:21:07.70\00:21:09.83 culture-type churches, like Samoan churches, 00:21:09.86\00:21:11.90 Asian churches, Spanish churches, those kind of things. 00:21:11.93\00:21:14.87 I think that's interesting as well. 00:21:14.90\00:21:17.01 Well that will be great, I'm going too. 00:21:17.04\00:21:19.71 Right, so we'll be there together! 00:21:19.74\00:21:21.54 Hopefully we'll come back and we're not saying... 00:21:21.58\00:21:22.94 Hi! We'll see. We gotta get through 00:21:22.98\00:21:26.41 that test first though, you gotta take the test. 00:21:26.45\00:21:28.18 I think I need to go to GYC and just get a shot of you guys 00:21:28.22\00:21:30.32 and see what's going on! 00:21:30.39\00:21:31.72 Yeah, but I definitely agree with what Jameelah said, 00:21:31.75\00:21:34.96 I think it's part of our mission, 00:21:34.99\00:21:37.39 part of the things that God has called us to do to just be 00:21:37.43\00:21:40.33 in ministry with other young adults 00:21:40.36\00:21:42.53 with other people serving others... 00:21:42.56\00:21:44.57 And, you know, when we're doing that, 00:21:44.63\00:21:46.60 God is going to add so much more to our life. 00:21:46.63\00:21:49.14 So that's when we can meet our man when we're out there 00:21:49.17\00:21:53.11 on a mission trip. Yeah... or a woman. 00:21:53.14\00:21:55.21 Yes or a woman. Laughter 00:21:55.24\00:21:57.68 You know, so it is about getting out there and giving to God 00:21:57.71\00:22:01.75 everything that we do - our time, 00:22:01.78\00:22:03.18 our money, our energy, all of that. 00:22:03.22\00:22:04.55 I think sincerity is the key with that too. Yeah 00:22:04.59\00:22:06.99 Because I think some people will join in and, obviously, 00:22:07.02\00:22:10.33 is to find a man and then they don't find one, 00:22:10.36\00:22:11.96 they're mad and they leave and it's like forget the 00:22:11.99\00:22:13.70 homeless people, forget people in jail, you know what you 00:22:13.73\00:22:16.20 were actually doing this for. 00:22:16.23\00:22:18.07 So I think that along with finding our match 00:22:18.10\00:22:20.54 and figuring out our personality type, we should also find our 00:22:20.57\00:22:23.24 gifts that the Lord has given us. 00:22:23.27\00:22:24.64 So I have the gift of service, so I'm good at doing that, 00:22:24.67\00:22:27.51 I like to do that, so I know that. 00:22:27.54\00:22:29.71 So that's the kind of things I should get involved with, 00:22:29.74\00:22:32.11 and then I think that also when you're not looking for something 00:22:32.15\00:22:34.95 is usually when you find it. 00:22:34.98\00:22:36.45 So if I'm enjoying what I'm doing, I'm not really looking 00:22:36.48\00:22:39.19 for a guy is usually when he'll show up. Yeah 00:22:39.22\00:22:41.32 And so I think that having that sincerity about 00:22:41.36\00:22:44.89 whatever it is you're doing for the Lord and in church, 00:22:44.93\00:22:47.76 I think, will also help. 00:22:47.80\00:22:51.33 And it's just about doing God's business, 00:22:51.37\00:22:53.57 taking care of God's people. Exactly! 00:22:53.60\00:22:54.94 And knowing that He'll take care of your business. 00:22:54.97\00:22:56.67 Yes, He said, "Seek Him first and all these things 00:22:56.71\00:22:58.44 shall be added unto you," if we are seeking Him 00:22:58.47\00:23:00.78 and focusing on Him, then everything else will 00:23:00.81\00:23:02.88 come to us and it won't be like us trying to find something 00:23:02.91\00:23:06.51 or seeking something... "Can you take this test?" 00:23:06.55\00:23:08.38 It will come - he will be the XX you need and that's it. 00:23:08.42\00:23:11.89 Absolutely, absolutely. 00:23:11.92\00:23:14.09 I met one young lady at a college and she said, 00:23:14.12\00:23:16.46 I said, "Well, you seem very hopeful" because she's single 00:23:16.49\00:23:19.93 and I said, "How is it going?" 00:23:19.96\00:23:22.10 She said, "You know, I'm very hopeful." 00:23:22.13\00:23:23.97 She said, "I don't think that God ever teases." Hmmm 00:23:24.00\00:23:27.57 And so I said, "Well, what does that mean?" 00:23:27.60\00:23:29.14 She said, "Well, I've always wanted a family, 00:23:29.17\00:23:30.84 and I've always wanted a significant other, 00:23:30.87\00:23:32.51 and I think that God put that within my heart 00:23:32.54\00:23:35.04 because some people don't, but I do and I don't think 00:23:35.08\00:23:37.61 He would tease me," and I like that. 00:23:37.65\00:23:39.78 I think that sounded pretty be good. 00:23:39.81\00:23:42.05 I have another question: How do you feel about 00:23:42.08\00:23:45.15 visiting churches because a lot of folks know that they 00:23:45.19\00:23:48.22 probably need to visit other churches so that they could 00:23:48.26\00:23:49.99 meet other young people, but feel that 00:23:50.03\00:23:52.23 it compromises the whole idea of going to church for worship. 00:23:52.26\00:23:56.03 How do you guys feel about that? 00:23:56.06\00:23:57.40 I don't know, I feel like I love the church that I go to. 00:23:57.43\00:24:03.37 I love the community, I love the service, 00:24:03.41\00:24:06.41 I love being of service to others at that specific church. 00:24:06.44\00:24:11.45 So, I don't know how I feel, 00:24:11.48\00:24:13.52 I don't know, I don't really have an opinion on it. 00:24:13.55\00:24:16.99 Because after some time, I'm thinking you know 00:24:17.02\00:24:18.99 all the guys at your church and they know you, 00:24:19.05\00:24:20.99 so, you know, after some time, if something doesn't happen 00:24:21.02\00:24:23.59 there, then the pool has been exhausted so to speak. 00:24:23.63\00:24:26.46 I wouldn't mind doing like ministries at different churches 00:24:26.49\00:24:29.16 like extending the ministry at our church to a different church 00:24:29.20\00:24:33.20 but I always have the belief that, you know you're a 00:24:33.23\00:24:36.30 member of a certain church and you give most of your time 00:24:36.34\00:24:39.51 and energy there, so spreading it to every other church 00:24:39.54\00:24:43.48 just to find a man at that point kind of doesn't make sense. 00:24:43.51\00:24:48.32 I mean, I agree with what Kisha is saying. 00:24:48.35\00:24:50.39 I think that visiting other churches is fine, 00:24:50.42\00:24:53.29 but once again, your reason you're visiting. 00:24:53.32\00:24:56.02 It's probably not because the word is so great, 00:24:56.06\00:24:58.09 and your pastor is just not that great and so 00:24:58.13\00:25:00.33 you're going to this church. 00:25:00.36\00:25:01.73 You're going there to find a man and if that's your 00:25:01.76\00:25:05.07 intention, then everything around that is going to 00:25:05.10\00:25:08.00 just to foster that belief. 00:25:08.04\00:25:10.17 So I do think extending the ministry is the best way 00:25:10.21\00:25:12.84 to do it - the best way to go about it. 00:25:12.87\00:25:15.48 It sounds like this could be very frustrating for you guys 00:25:15.51\00:25:19.28 being single, so let's continue this conversation the next time. 00:25:19.31\00:25:24.49 Today we learned that it isn't whether or not you 00:25:29.69\00:25:32.69 have conflict in your relationship that determines 00:25:32.73\00:25:35.50 the outcome, but whether you use completely different 00:25:35.53\00:25:39.23 approaches to resolve it. 00:25:39.27\00:25:40.87 Studies show that personality types, parental role models 00:25:40.90\00:25:45.01 and your past experiences are factors in how you 00:25:45.04\00:25:48.21 choose to resolve conflict. 00:25:48.24\00:25:49.74 In fact, conflict arises from individual differences 00:25:49.78\00:25:53.15 and most often occur as a signal that two people 00:25:53.18\00:25:56.79 have different ideas, desires, drives, even needs, 00:25:56.82\00:26:00.96 but when tempers flare and emotions run high, 00:26:00.99\00:26:03.73 it's usually an indication of conflicting needs. 00:26:03.76\00:26:06.53 Unresolved needs lead to distancing and breakups, 00:26:06.56\00:26:10.17 but the Bible isn't silent on the topic either. 00:26:10.20\00:26:12.90 Ephesians 4:26 says, "Let not the sun go down on your wrath." 00:26:12.93\00:26:17.44 If you're in an XY relationship, then this could change 00:26:17.47\00:26:20.78 especially for you. 00:26:20.81\00:26:22.18 There may be vast differences in how you problem-solve. 00:26:22.21\00:26:25.41 Naturally, the Y-type communicator is less 00:26:25.45\00:26:28.35 likely to want to sit at the dining table to have 00:26:28.38\00:26:31.19 an extended conversation on how to resolve an issue. 00:26:31.22\00:26:34.06 Chances are that one of you can sleep just fine 00:26:34.09\00:26:37.53 after an argument even with the matter unresolved. 00:26:37.56\00:26:41.33 The other partner - not so much. 00:26:41.36\00:26:43.50 So Ephesians 4:26 makes sense for two reasons... 00:26:43.53\00:26:46.70 One of you will suffer quite a bit of emotional 00:26:46.74\00:26:49.67 distress which will last for some time rather than 00:26:49.70\00:26:53.07 lessen with the passage of time. 00:26:53.11\00:26:55.18 You, the Y partner, should seriously consider 00:26:55.21\00:26:58.21 a compromise that relieves your partner of his burden 00:26:58.25\00:27:01.48 and stress. 00:27:01.52\00:27:02.85 The other reason is that studies show that when left unchecked, 00:27:02.88\00:27:05.99 anger and discomfort turn into their more dangerous 00:27:06.02\00:27:09.16 cousins - bitterness and resentment 00:27:09.19\00:27:11.96 the precursors to the breakdown of many relationships. 00:27:11.99\00:27:15.96 It's helpful to also point out that Ephesians is 00:27:16.00\00:27:18.47 focusing on wrath and not resolution. 00:27:18.50\00:27:21.77 There are ways and techniques to let the hot air out of 00:27:21.80\00:27:25.67 the conflict without arriving at a grand resolution. 00:27:25.71\00:27:29.11 Join us next time on "Road to Romance" 00:27:29.14\00:27:31.21