Psychology Today | 01.06.2026 04:40
You know the pattern: You ask what you think is an innocent question, and your partner responds with an over-the-top reaction. Maybe you can rein it in, but maybe not. Their response triggers a strong reaction in you: you punch back, and now you’re both off and running. What’s going on is something below the surface—the fight beneath the fight, the triggering of each other’s emotional wounds.
