Building a Climate of Respect

Respect is absolutely basic to a healthy marriage. It is the cornerstone of a good marriage. Respect cannot be overstressed.

In this workshop, we talk only about how we treat each other. There is an important reason for this: we are making a distinction between one’s feelings and one’s behavior.

We must not always act on our feelings or attitudes. We teach that all people are entitled to certain basic treatments, no matter how we feel about them at any given time. The theme of the difference between feelings (which are neither right nor wrong) and behavior (which may be right or wrong) is a recurring theme in our workshops.

Few topics lend themselves more to the principle of balance than Respect. In this presentation, we wish to identify and demonstrate both extremes: disrespect (for others) and lack of self-respect. We talk about each end of the spectrum as we present. As we go along, we also introduce new terms to represent the two ends: “aggressive” to mean disrespect for others, and “passive” to designate the “doormat” mentality, or lack of self-respect.

This workshop defines respect as the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. Respect means how we treat each other. Participants learn that they can be off-balance in either direction: not respecting others enough or not respecting themselves enough.