During adolescence, mixing with ‘independent’ people, we soon find that friends are very fickle.
My ability to get others to meet my emotional needs is dependent on my ability to meet their needs emotionally.
It is also dependent on my ability to get them to agree with my decisions and choices, or my ability to agree with theirs.
Agreeably meeting each others needs is the basis of a co-dependent relationship.
I meet your needs in return for you meeting mine.
It soon becomes apparent that what we all really need is that one special person who unconditionally meets all our needs.
The more needy that we are, the more difficult it becomes to meet that person.
Some eventually give up looking in the belief that Man’s best friend is a Dog.
Humans & Dogs, or Cats, develop co-dependent relationships that are often more reliable, more dependable, than human friendships.
Marriage has been designed to make our special co-dependent relationship a bond for life.
A marriage contract is there to ensure that the relationship remains long after our needs are no longer being satisfied and we realise that the relationship is far from being unconditional.