Principle of Least Interest
» Emotional Health
A look at some of what governs power relationships in mainstream (“vanilla”) heterosexual relationships:
“We’ve still got a long way to go,” says Pepper Schwartz, a University of Washington psychologist and author of Love Between Equals, as well as guides to better sex. She says couples are most egalitarian when they’re dating. It’s only after the wedding that power tips out of balance.
Still, the burden doesn’t always fall on the woman. The advice columns are full of men who’ve ceded control to women. It seems the one who gains power is the one who wants to be together / engaged / married less.
Schwartz says this observation was articulated in 1938 as the “principle of least interest.” It applies across human affairs from international diplomacy to used car lots to disputes over cleaning the toilet. If you’re willing to walk out and your needy partner knows it, there’s a good chance he’ll scrub your floor.
Who has the upper hand in your twosome?
