Meeting the needs of both genders can ease tensions

USA Today meets John Gray, a family therapist and author of the popular book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, who explains that the basic needs of men and women are quite different, and left unnoticed, can be the cause of ongoing arguments.

Women’s three basic emotional needs are to feel cared about, understood and respected, Gray says. He believes men’s emotional needs are to feel trusted, accepted and appreciated.

To meet each other’s needs and avoid repeating the same arguments, husbands and wives may need to change their response, tone of voice or attitude.

Gray addresses some of the stereotypical traits and responses of the two genders to one another, such as women ‘going on and on’ and men trying to come up with a solution and then saying “That’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

He concludes that men and women really want the same thing:

“She wants him to make her happy. He wants to make her happy. They both want the same thing.”

Read the full article: If emotional needs are met, calm prevails