Episode 184: Secrets to Succeeding in Marriage (The Psychology of JP2, Part 4)

Being Human

What are the “secrets to success” for dating, marriages, and relationships? In this episode, Dr. Greg discusses the profound and practical wisdom in JP2’s book Love and Responsibility. Part 4 of our series on the psychology of Pope John Paul II.

Discussed in this episode:

• Personalistic norm: the most misunderstood principle in marriages and family dynamics
• A surprising and different way to understand love
• Dating mistake: Why it is backwards to look for the right person with a list of checkboxes
• The one question to ask during dating and the discernment of marriage
• Why a spouse’s infidelity does not change your vow or “break the marriage”
• Using a person as a means to an end vs loving a person
• Sexual complementarity and the two dualist errors harming marriages: rigorism and libidinism
• Tenderness: JP2 takes us a step further than empathy in relationships
• The correct understanding of “marriage as a remedy of concupiscence”

Resources mentioned or relevant:

• Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)
• Series on the psychology of JP2:
  • Episode 180: The Psychology of JP2: A Bold Proposal
  • Episode 182: Delving Deep into the Human Experience
  • Episode 183: The Lead Domino Effect: Transformation Begins with a Blueprint
• Resources on dating and marriage:
  • Marriage Mini-Course: A Free CatholicPsych Resource
  • Episode 127: “I’m Gonna Want to Divorce You”
  • Episode 131: The #1 Threat to Marriage
  • Blog article: The One Most Important Quality to Look for in a Spouse
  • Episode 122: There Is No Real Marriage Therapy
• Learn more about gender complementarity:
  • Blog article: Celebrating the Differences of Men and Women
  • Blog article: God Created Us to Need Each Other
  • Episode 149: A New Approach to the Gender Crisis
  • 4-part series on Gender Fluidity or Complementarity?
• How does the error of dualism impact your life?
  • Blog article: You’re No Angel, But Neither Am I
  • Blog article: Who Are We? And What Heals Us?
  • Episode 41: What Is Integration Anyway?
• Learn more about JP2’s Theology of the Body:
  • Man and Woman He Created Them (original text by JP2)
  • Theology of the Body Explained by Christopher West
  • TOB Books and Resources by Jason Evert
  • Theology of the Body Institute
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