"Getting What You Want From a Relationship"

In a past post titled "Brooklyn Seminars In Modern Psychoanalysis:Getting Along", I spoke about a interesting seminar that I usually attend every other month. The topic of the seminar for this year is "Getting Along". In March 13th, yet again a group of people from different careers came together to talk about "Getting What You Want From a Relationship.

Dr. Michaela Schaeffer pointed to sex, money, and power as key elements in any relationship.  She began with the kinds of relationships we generally think of--spouse, lover, sibling, parent, child, in-laws, boss, employee, colleague.  The group helped expand the list to relationships with yourself, with professionals and tradespeople, with your neighborhood and government, with food, and with things. 

Dr. Schaeffer presented her five rules for improving your relationship:

1)  If you don't ask, you don't get

2)  If someone asks, just say yes

3)  If one person wins, everyone loses

4)  Talk

5)  Laugh