I've been reading the book,
How To Avoid Falling In Love With a Jerk for my marriage prep class. In this book the author, John Van Epp, Ph. D. talks about how we can obtain a healthy relationship by following his RAM model. This RAM relationship model consists of bonding in depth by how you know, trust, rely on, have a commitment to, and have physical involvement with another person. How well you know a person should be rated the highest as couples self disclose their thought, feelings and emotions to one another. As you get to know someone, you begin to trust them. As you trust someone you are able to rely on them. Knowing you can depend on someone brings a deeper sense of trust. From there you are able to commit yourself to that person and to your relationship. Once you commit yourself to your relationship, the physical chemistry intensifies and bonds you closer together. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have been taught similar values in regards to build a relationship line upon line, establishing trust and making a commitment of marriages before being intimate. I find it interesting that John Van Epp is expressing similar concepts.
Getting to know someone is the beginning of a healthy relationship.
Here is a post from one of my classmates that shared the book,
How To Avoid Falling In Love With A Jerk
