Yelling, Screaming, Raging and Lecturing

There are many spouses who would never contemplate hitting their mate, but think nothing of yelling, screaming, raging and lecturing them, sometimes for hours.

I want to suggest that yelling at your spouse is a verbal slap to the heart.

Although physically assaulting your wife or husband (even once) is generally considered an adequate reason to separate until the wounded spouse feels safe – verbal assaults may do just as much damage and lead to the same result. And the heart may take a much longer time to heal than the body.

Lecturing a spouse is treating them like a child. I don’t care how much you feel the need to berate them or “educate” them; it is just wrong and contemptuous. The worst time and place to do this is in the bedroom at bedtime. The other worst time to do this is during the rest of the day. If you find yourself wanting to do this, take a break, get away and settle down.

It might even be worse for the child of a raging parent. There is a larger power imbalance and the dependency needs are greater. The kids can’t always leave the room to protect themselves emotionally. I have heard adult children confess that they would have preferred being spanked to having to endure the intense screaming and shaming. One man said this to me:

“Whenever Dad yelled at me the look on his face said he hated me and was disgusted with me.”  Then the man broke down crying.

I wonder if your spouse feels hated too when you scream at them?

Often this is a family of origin issue, meaning that it was behavior that was modeled in the family in which you grew up. Mom or Dad was a yeller, and so it just feels normal to scream at people. It might be normal to you, but it may not be normal to the others around you – and it certainly isn’t healthy or mature.

Sometimes the angry behavior is a way of coping with depression. It is said that women tend to go sad and cry when depressed and men tend to go angry and aggressive. When we act out angry feelings there is a boost in adrenaline that may pull us temporarily out of the feeling of depression. Unfortunately it is also followed by a letdown and usually a feeling of regret for pushing people away.

The best solution I know is to run away when you feel compelled to act out. Separate yourself as quickly as possible and let the feelings dissipate. For some people fear and anxiety drives them to lash out. Take yourself away and sort out the feelings so that you can deal with people calmly and rationally.

And lastly and most importantly, according to the Bible, it is often also a sin that separates us from God. 

Ephesians 4:26 (NIV) “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. 

Proverbs 22:24-25 (NIV) Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Rarely Alone, But Often Lonely

There was a time a few years into our marriage when Nan & I weren’t on the same page spiritually. Lots of stuff was going well for us, but this was a really sticky place. I was pretty happy with the way things were, but Nan wasn’t. At one point she told me she was lonely and didn’t know if our marriage could last if it stayed the way it was.

Although I entered counseling reluctantly, I somehow knew it was necessary and I allowed myself to be talked into going (by her counselor).

It was the best decision I ever made.

Why was Nan lonely? There were parts of her heart that she couldn’t share, because I just couldn’t relate to the depth of her feelings. The spiritual intimacy she wanted with me wasn’t possible – and that left her feeling lonely.

For you it might be different where your loneliness rests. It might be that you feel like you are parenting alone. Or there may be an absence or disconnection in your sexual intimacy. Maybe the conversations you share with your partner are not understood or valued. Maybe you don’t feel heard at all. Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel good.

What may be particularly difficult is that you are around the other person a lot of the time, but it’s not satisfying, maybe even annoying. You know it could be great and that makes you sad. That is why you got married or into a relationship, but this loneliness is not what you expected.

The Solution

If you are already in a permanent committed relationship, you need to talk about it, as uncomfortable as it may be. Be sure to stress the positive before you bring up the stuck place. For us it took a third party because of the nature of the disconnect. It wasn’t that I failed to listen, it was that I needed a paradigm shift that I just couldn’t make on my own.

If you are not yet fully committed, which usually means married, I would strongly advise you to make sure you are in agreement in most areas of life – spiritually, financially, sexually, life direction, health, family etc. If not, this relationship could leave you feeling alone and scared and resentful.

Nan and I both have a pretty high need for alone time, but we are not lonely. We just understand each other and respect the boundaries. We have figured it out because we have talked about it and are willing to discuss it when necessary.

Our pastor says there is nothing worse than being single and wishing you were married – unless it is married and wishing you were single. I get what he means. The truth is that relationships can be wonderful when both of you are on the same path.

Can two people walk together without agreeing upon the direction? 

Amos 3:3