The less a person respects themself, the greater their need will be to “keep their partner(s) in check”.

Or to try to control the people around them.

A relationship will always be a competition of control until they STOP worrying about where they stand (they know they command respect).

When a person knows their worth and knows where they stand, maintaining strong personal boundaries, their partner will then also have less to worry about:

Fewer “rules” to follow (especially complicated, unspoken ones mean to protect insecurities).

Less feeding a failing ego.

Fewer worries about where THEY stand, because when you respect yourself and your own boundaries, it’s easy to speak your emotional truths and vulnerabilities without fear of going overboard.

THAT frees up all sorts of communication issues in a relationship, changing the frame from from keeping score to a consistent net gain for both.