How many months goes by before a relationship can experience problems?

[fun2bewith]

I guess I would like to know when the "make or break" phase in a relationship surface?

[january2010]

To be honest, every relationship is different and even if people have their own rules, they usually reserve the right to change their minds when weighing up all the factors. Even then, situations change.

 

So while some people may be able to give you an approximate time period, I don't think there's a universally agreed cut-off point.

[poorguy]

Depends on how much time you spend together. If it's all of the time it's between 4 and 5 months. If you didn't go jumping into living together it takes much longer for any real issues to surface...Make or break point though I think is more like 1 or 1.5 years

[homebrew]

Depends on how much time you spend together. If it's all of the time it's between 4 and 5 months. If you didn't go jumping into living together it takes much longer for any real issues to surface...Make or break point though I think is more like 1 or 1.5 years

 

Assuming they are halfway normal... I agree with poorguy!

 

If they are both bat ***** crazy and drama queens... It could be as early as tonight! With people like that... it still takes a year or two before they actually go through with enforcing the restraining order.

[Duckduckgoose]

For some reason... I compare a lot of things to cars or driving.

 

Lets compare a new relationship to a new car.

 

Its all new and soooo shiney! You can't get enough of it, the new car smell, the way it handles, the exhaust note... OMG its the best car evar!

 

There could be a problem with the car at that point, like a little ping you hear when you rev over 6000rpm... but that's just a little thing the rest of the car is sooo awesome!

 

As you have the car for a while, that ping gets more noticeable and its pinging/missing at at lot of revs. Maybe the gas mileage isn't so hot... maybe the clutch is slipping. Maybe what felt like a grippy ride now just feels like a nervous one.

 

Okay so now my awesome car that is the best thing evar isn't so new anymore. Once the things that were kind of always there start to be really noticeable you step back and think... okay, these were always kind of here and some of them are wear and tear some of them are the car itself. You can fix most of the problems or at least become comfortable with the fact that potholes sometimes REALLY hurt.

 

Its that point you keep the car or trade it in for a new model.

 

I got really off-topic: To sum it up, the problems are there from the beginning usually. Some are wear and tear problems. Its what you notice in the beginning and whether you are willing to deal with it.

[Mrlonelyone]

For some people the honeymoon haze can last years, for some months. I found a good video where a psychologist breaks it down.

 

http://www.videojug.com/interview/the-life-cycle-of-a-relationship

Edited January 5, 2011 by Mrlonelyone
better link

[Eeyore79]

I usually have a six month rule: if I'm still interested in a guy at the six month mark, he's a keeper. I've never maintained interest in a relationship for six months though; on the couple of occasions I got close to that mark, he dumped me before it was reached. I'm at four months with the current bf and still interested, so hopefully it might work out this time!