Honesty is a very important quality in a partner relationship. Honesty leads to trust, depth, safety and understanding in a relationship. Withholding important information and events from your partner can lead to mistrust and distance. Even though it may seem hard to tell the truth in a relationship, the consequences of withholding the truth can be disastrous. Janet and Jim have been married a long time and are very committed to one another.
Issues arise in their relationship which they work hard to clear.
A major issue was Jim's thirty year smoking habit. Janet disliked Jim's smoking habit intensely. She considered it a dirty habit which was steadily decreasing his health. For Janet's birthday, Jim announced he was giving up smoking. Janet was thrilled and vowed to help and support him.