What To Do When Your Partner Is Socially Awkward Or Less-Naturally Social

This site is primarily for socially awkward people who want to work on their own issues. I realize though that some of its readers are here for information and advice on someone in their lives who has social difficulties. I'm happy to try to help with that as well.

One of these situations is when you're dating or married to someone who's socially awkward, or not as naturally sociable as you are. Sometimes this is a more minor issue, but it can get to a point where it's quite distressing and you wonder if the relationship will last.

To back up a bit, having a socially awkward partner, and having a less-sociable one are actually two distinct issues. The first is more of an objective problem, while second is really an incompatibility in personality style and preferences. There's enough overlap in the two that I'll still address them in the same article. The content will lean a bit more towards situations where one person in the couple truly has some social weaknesses.

I'll start this in-depth piece by outlining the kinds of social problems your husband or wife, or boyfriend or girlfriend might have, and the many factors that can influence how it will all play out. Next I'll give some suggestions about what you can do about it. One theme that will keep coming up is that this is often as much a couple issue as it is a social skills one.

If your partner is awkward, is there hope of things improving?

Before I really get started, I'll quickly address this question. If your partner has social difficulties you may be fairly upset about the impact it's having on your relationship, and be wondering how realistic it is to expect things to improve. It depends on several factors, but in general people have the potential to overcome their social difficulties. If they work at it they can build up their communication skills or become less shy and insecure. They may never reach 10/10 on the charisma scale, but most can get up to the level of an average, well-functioning individual. Similarly, if there are some communication or problem solving weaknesses in your relationship that are getting in the way of your addressing one partner's interpersonal weaknesses, that's also something that can be improved.

Defining the problem

When you partner has social issues that bother you there are actually two intertwined problems you need to resolve. There's the social issues themselves, and then the fact that you have a difference or incompatibility in your relationship that you'll need to navigate and resolve. Between those two main obstacles there are a variety of factors that make the situation unique for each couple. Think about all these variables and form a clear sense of what the issue looks like in your particular relationship.

Your partner's social issue(s)

If more than one of these applies to your partner, they may overlap or interact with each other.

Another factor is whether your partner has an actual mental health or developmental condition that's known to affect the learning or application of social skills, such as Social Anxiety Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or Adult ADHD. I'll talk a bit more about this at the end of the article.

Where you feel the problem lies

If you took five couples where one member has a social issue, their partners may all differ on how exactly they see it as problem. More than one of the below probably applies:

Even if some of your views aren't the most noble sounding, such as you're embarrassed by your spouse, it's still important to acknowledge them to yourself. You're allowed to feel what you feel. It's not like you have to tell them every last thing you're thinking about. Down the road you may decide to try to adjust your attitudes, but for now you've at least got to be aware of what's really motivating you.

Your broader view of the problem

Your partner's perception of the problem

You might not know this information at the moment, but it should come up at some point. Even when you don't know everything going on in your partner's head, the points below will still influence the situation.

Their openness to your take on things

The state of the relationship

What you can do

Once you've gotten a sense of what the issue is, you can try to address it. However, in many cases you only have so much influence over how things go down. If your partner needs to make changes to their social skills, that large task is something they have to do for themselves. You can just hopefully help guide them in a direction that works for you.

Educate yourself

This is something you can do throughout the entire process. If one person in a couple has a condition, it's only natural the other partner is going to have unanswered questions and worries about it. You can do a lot to clear up your uncertainties by educating yourself on the issue. You can also get a better sense of where they're coming from, and what things are like from their end.

You can do some reading to get an overall background on the situation. I think this site is a detailed resource on the social struggles people can go through, and how they can think about them. Everyone is different, so going through general information may not give you insight into every little thing your partner does or is going through, but it should help. If your husband has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, you can go through some books, websites, or videos that describe the symptoms, and what it's like to live with the communication difficulties it causes. You could also find firsthand accounts by people who have it themselves. If your partner is shy, you could check out books and sites on that. If they identify as an introvert, there are plenty of sources that describe what it's like to live in a world that's geared more towards more extroverted values.

The second important way you can educate yourself and clear up any misunderstandings is to talk to your partner and hear things from their perspective. This can be a conversation that brings you closer together as a couple. Ask them what things are like for them, and then listen in an open, non-judgmental way. Often we unthinkingly make assumptions about why other people act the way they do, and can be surprised when we learn what's really going through their heads. For example, you may think someone talks too much because they're selfish and attention starved, but they really do it because they get nervous and feel they have to fill every empty second.

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Ask yourself if there are any aspects of the issue you can address entirely on your own

See if there are any facets of the situation you can get handled by yourself. After all, you can't totally control your partner, but you can choose how you respond to them. First, ask yourself if there any parts of your partner's behavior you might be able to accept by changing your attitude towards them. Some examples:

Next, is there anything you can do on your own to adapt to your partner's social style? For example:

Of course, you won't be able to accept or adapt to everything about your mate. For that you'll first need to...

Talk to your partner about the issue(s)

Some of you have already done this step. However, it's just as likely you've kept your feelings close to your chest, or you've only expressed them through the odd little comment. Having a more open or straightforward discussion can be easier said than done. We all naturally want to avoid potentially tense or awkward conversations. We don't want to hurt their feelings. We try to tell ourselves our concerns aren't that big a deal and not worth rocking the boat over. If something bugs you enough though, you've got to get it out there sooner or later.

Here are some thoughts on how to make this conversation go as well as possible:

Compromise

To talk about compromising a little more, this is especially something you'll need to do if your partner just has a different social style than you. There's no preference towards socializing that's better or worse than another, so you're not really in a spot to insist they change to meet your standards. However, if you're both able to compromise you may be able to work something out that's a lot more mutually satisfying than what you've been doing to date.

For example, if a woman likes going to bustling parties, and would love her boyfriend to come with her, they might agree that it's only reasonable for him to accompany her to at least some events, and to make an effort to be chatty while he's there. However, in return she'll acknowledge how draining he finds it, and she'll be okay with him ducking out after 2-3 hours with a reasonable excuse. She'll then be able to stay as long as she wants, and he'll pick her up later if she doesn't have another way to get home. Also, he'll be given a few days each week where he can chill at home and do his own thing.

Help and support them

I've already talked about accepting, adapting, and compromising, now what about when one partner has legitimate issues they need to work on? What if they admit they want to do something about their stifling shyness, or shaky conversation abilities? Social skills are something people mainly have to work on by themselves, so the first thing you can do is just be supportive as they do that. Cheer on their little victories and milestones. Be there to listen if they need to vent after a frustrating experience. Show through your actions that you still love them despite the fact that they're not socially perfect.

It's also possible they may ask for your help. You need to tread carefully here. While you may want to help, and think you have a clear idea of what they need to do, you've got to realize that it can create a lot of tension if a Teacher/Student or Parent/Child dynamic is introduced into your relationship. They come with an inherent power imbalance. Your partner may not appreciate being thrown into a role where they feel they have to perform to your standards, and you get to evaluate and critique them. They may not be able to deal with the idea that you disapprove of some aspect of them and are constantly on the lookout for it. If your relationship is strong on the whole, and they're open to being taught by you, you can consider it, but err on the side of caution and let them approach you first.

If your partner is open to you helping them there are a few things you can do:

Assisting with their education may be as simple as recommending a book or website. If you're up for it, and feel qualified for the task, you could also explain aspects of socializing to them. For example, if thinking of things to say comes easily to you, you could tell them how you manage to keep your conversations going.

An example of giving feedback, which also involves some teaching, may be, "At the party last night, when your co-worker asked you how your art lessons were, they just wanted to hear a quick summary. They weren't expecting you to talk to them for ten minutes about what last week's class covered." A second example could be, "When you're with your good friends it's fine to make a bunch of crass jokes and quote all your favorite movies, but around my family you need to be more prim and proper and polite."

Of course you want to deliver any feedback in a warm, supportive way, and not come across like some impatient Little League coach who's waiting to pounce on their every mistake. If you're out with them, often it works better to just enjoy the event, and debrief about what could have been done differently later on. They'll feel under less scrutiny and pressure that way, and you won't be disrupting their vibe by pulling them aside every half hour.

Practice could involve role plays, where you, say, act as their boss who gives vague instructions, and your partner could rehearse ways to respectfully ask for more clarification. Or you could just have a conversation on a walk, but they focus on being a good listener rather than doing most of the talking like they default to.

You can directly assist your partner by helping them get into conversations, or by taking up the slack if they seem to have run out of things to say. If they're feeling shy, and again, if they're open to it, you can gently encourage them to take more risks. One more thing some couples have said is helpful, and this somewhat contradicts what I said above about saving the feedback/critique for later, is to come up with signals one partner can send the other if they're making a mistake, such as a quick "You're dominating the conversation. Let the other person talk!!!" gesture.

Counseling is always an option, for them, yourself, or both of you

As I talk about in another article, I don't think there's anything wrong with seeing a counselor. The piece I just linked to is about how someone could see a therapist for help with their own social issues, but the basic ideas also apply to the non-awkward partner, or a couple making an appointment.

There are clear benefits for the awkward partner seeing someone. They can get support and guidance while addressing their issues. They may be more open to working with a neutral professional. If you're both wondering whether they meet the diagnosis for a condition like ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder, your partner can be properly assessed to clear that question up. If it turns out a diagnosis does apply to them, they can then get further direction. It's necessary to mention that counseling isn't something you just send another person to so the therapist will "fix" them for you. The person attending has to be motivated to change for themselves. Or they may choose to change in a way that doesn't fit what you think is best.

Counseling can also be a big help to the non-awkward partner. You can talk to someone about the frustrations you're experiencing on your end. You can get some of your questions answered. You can learn more effective ways to be supportive. If you have social issues yourself, you can tackle those. Third, it could be useful to see a therapist as a couple. After all, what you're really dealing with here is a relational problem. A counselor can help you resolve it, and strengthen your relationship in other ways.

Seeing a counselor is one way to go. There's also the group therapy route. This is also something that you or your partner could access, or which you could do together. There are treatment and support groups for Social Anxiety Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as general social skills training classes. There are support groups for partners of individuals with various conditions. There are also therapy groups for couples.

Strengthen the relationship overall

Your partner's social difficulties may be a lot harder to tolerate if the relationship as a whole isn't in the best shape. They may even become a stand in for all the other resentments you have towards them. If you can improve your entire relationship, you may find you also feel less pressure from the communication skills issue. This article is long enough as it is without me trying to also provide a summary of every way a couple could try to strengthen their bond. Luckily, there are a ton of good resources on the topic. Couple's counseling might help as well.

Helpful attitudes when trying to help your awkward partner

As you implement the suggestions above, these attitudes can make things go more smoothly:

Don't see the issue as entirely their problem

If you're one half of a couple, and your partner has an issue, there are three ways you can look at it. Neither is entirely correct, just a different perspective on the situation. First, you can view the issue as being an objective flaw within the other person - It's their problem in other words. Secondly, you can go the opposite direction and see the issue as mainly being about you having a subjective dislike for an aspect of them. It's your problem, because if you felt differently about that part of their behavior there wouldn't be any conflict. It's also possible that your own behavior isn't perfect, and you're not handling the issue in the ideal way. Finally, you can see things as a problem within the couple as a whole. There's a mismatch between one person's behavior and the other partner's expectations.

I mention this because taking on a different perspective can help you approach the situation in a more productive manner. Sometimes when one person has an identifiable issue their partner will think of them as the flawed or broken one, and themselves as a long-suffering victim or martyr. Seeing the situation as being more of an issue in the larger relationship can curb blaming or resentful feelings on your part. Even if they have an official diagnosis, that doesn't put the problem entirely at their feet. It's not that they simply have a diagnosis, but that the diagnosis is disrupting the dynamic between the two of you.

Be patient, and don't expect instant results

Even if your partner begins diligently working on their issues, you've got to have realistic expectations for how fast progress will come. It takes time for people to change socially. They need to slowly improve their skills and confidence. It's not a matter of them learning what they've been doing wrong and magically being able to adjust how they act. If they have an issue like being on the autism spectrum, ADHD, or Social Anxiety Disorder, you've got to be sensitive to the fact that things are harder for them still.

One trap you can fall into is to become an armchair social coach. It's always easier to sit on the sidelines and know what someone else should do. It's harder to be the one who actually has to do it. Another pitfall is to feel that if someone isn't changing quickly it's a sign that they don't care enough about you to put in the effort, or that they're even dragging their feet to spite you. Again, change is hard.

The diagnosis issue

As I mentioned earlier, there are several mental health or developmental issues that can lead to social problems. Some examples are Social Anxiety Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Adult ADHD. You may be wondering whether your partner does meet the criteria for one of them. Maybe their behavior seems to match up eerily well with a list of symptoms you read online. It's possible they have the condition, but it's important to let a mental health professional make that call. You don't want to make any amateur diagnoses. You especially don't want to start treating or thinking of someone as if they have a diagnosis when one actually hasn't been properly given. Many people will show some features of a diagnosable condition, but that doesn't mean they fully fit it.

If a diagnosis has been made it can cause a variety of reactions. For some people it brings a sense of clarity and relief. It's not that their partner is weird and insensitive, they're just wired to process social information differently. There can be more negative responses. Someone who was already feeling discouraged about their partner's behavior may now see the situation as hopeless - "They're on the autism spectrum. There's too much standing in the way of them changing. I don't know if I should even bother anymore." The diagnosis may also raise a bunch of worrying questions; "So does that mean it's literally impossible for them to learn to communicate better?" As I wrote earlier, none of these issues erase all hope, and it's important to educate yourself to clear up any concerns you have.