Recently, the increase in violence in romantic relationships has caused many people to ask the question: Why can love - which is considered a positive emotion - lead to extreme behavior?
To explain the above question, reporters had an exchange with psychologist Hoang Anh - Voice of Therapist office.
According to experts, many underlying psychological factors can cause some people to lose emotional control, leading to violence when facing conflict or breakup.
''One of the common factors is emotional dependence. When a person believes that their happiness and meaning of life depend entirely on the other person, they may fall into a state of extreme fear if the relationship is at risk of breaking down,'' expert Hoang Anh said.
Besides, pathological jealousy and need for control are also common factors.
''When conflicts occur, those who lack a sense of security in love tend to suspect, fear being abandoned, and want to control the other person. At the time this feeling of insecurity is triggered, they are prone to reacting with extreme behaviors,'' the expert emphasized.
According to expert Hoang Anh, another reason is poor emotional regulation ability. Many people are not equipped with skills to recognize and handle negative emotions such as anger, disappointment or jealousy.
''Psychological trauma from the past can also strongly affect how a person reacts in love. Experiences such as being abandoned, abused, or lacking a sense of security in the family can make individuals more sensitive to the risk of emotional loss, thereby overreacting,'' the expert said.
False beliefs about love also contribute to increasing the risk of violence.
''Some people believe that love is synonymous with possessing or controlling the other person, even thinking "if it doesn't belong to you, no one can have it". This easily leads to negative behavior when the relationship encounters problems,'' expert Hoang Anh emphasized.
Each individual needs to learn to build independent self-worth, not put all happiness and meaning of life into a relationship.
''When you notice signs of emotional loss, each person should seek psychological support early, instead of trying to endure or suppress it. Timely intervention from the outside can help avoid unfortunate consequences'', the expert said.
From a broader perspective, family and society also play an important role in preventing emotional tragedies.
''Each family needs to strengthen emotional education, healthy love skills and conflict resolution for teenagers from an early age'', expert Hoang Anh said.
