test out her partner’s reaction before she signed up. She might approach him and say, “Listen, I’m thinking about attending this workshop. . . .” And then she would sensitively evaluate his spoken and unspoken response. If she picked up any signals that he felt threatened or was disapproving, she would move in quickly to protect him. She might say to herself, “Well, the workshop probably wouldn’t be that good,” or, “We don’t have the money now,” or, “I’m not really in the mood to go, anyway.”
