The Dark Side of Supportive Relationships

Loyalty from a loved one that doesn't include a heavy dose of the objective truth can damage our other relationships

Having someone who encourages your feelings of indignation can propel you toward more intense conflicts, research finds. Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock

Imagine that you’ve had a heated argument with a co-worker, and you call up your husband or wife to talk about it.

Your partner may simply listen and give you a chance to vent, or perhaps encourage you to look inside at your own thoughts about the situation. Or they may react in one of these two very common ways.