The quality of commitment is critical to a successful relationship. The difficulty of achieving this quality in a relationship stems from the need for both individuals to be equally committed to the relationship. I have found in my relationships that the aspect of personal growth is critical to each partner being mutually committed to the relationship. To overcome challenges in relationships or resolve conflicts, I find it often necessary for one or both partners to grow. This often stems from different values, beliefs, or levels of understanding and insight. Without one individual being able to grow, conflicts will not be successfully resolved. An example of this from my own experience occurred with my first serious relationship. Though we were both mutually committed to the long term success of our relationship and exhibited many other qualities of successful relationships, the boy I loved and that loved me refused to work to grow. He believed that women should abandon their careers in favor of the home and child rearing. While my own cultural background supports these values and beliefs, I am determined to express the full range of my being. My boyfriend could not accept this. He was not committed to the success of our relationship to the degree that he would work on his reasons for refusing to accept a wife, mother and career woman. As such, the unequal distribution of commitment undermined our relationship and we eventually broke up.
A personal relationship I had in high school made me understand the significance of honesty, trust, and fidelity to the success of relationships. I had a crush on a boy in English class. Over time we became close and exchanged class rings. We used to date and the extent of our physical intimacy was a kiss at the end of dates. We used to do homework together and the reason I liked him so much was because I trusted him implicitly. I really believed in him and felt he was perfectly ...