Being Human

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

Jun 25, 2024

27:28

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:
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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