The Nice Guy
Syndrome
"I'm a Nice Guy. I'm one of the nicest guys you're ever going to meet."
Jason, a chiropractor in his mid-thirties, began his first session of individual therapy with this
introduction. Jason described his life as "perfect" — except for one major problem — his sex life. It had
been several months since he and his wife Heather had been sexual and it didn't look like anything was
going to change soon.
Jason spoke openly about his marriage, his family, and his sexuality. An affable man, he seemed to
welcome the opportunity to talk about himself and his life.
More than anything, Jason wanted to be liked. He saw himself as a very generous, giving person. He
prided himself on not having many ups and downs and for never losing his temper. He revealed that he
liked to make people happy and that he hated conflict. To avoid rocking the boat with his wife, he
tended to hold back his feelings and tried to do everything "right."
After this introduction, Jason took a piece of paper out of his pocket and began to unfold it. While doing
so, he stated that he had written a few things down so he wouldn't forget them.
"I can never do it right," Jason began, looking over his list. "No matter how hard I try, Heather always
finds something wrong. I don't deserve to be treated this way. I try to be a good husband and father, but
it's never good enough."
Jason paused as he looked over his list.
"This morning is a good example," he continued. "While Heather was getting ready for work, I got our
baby Chelsie up, fed her breakfast, gave her a bath. I had her all ready to go and was about to get ready
myself. Then Heather walked in and got that look on her face. I knew I was in trouble."
"'Why'd you dress her in that? That's a good outfit.'" Jason mimicked his wife's tone. "I didn't know she
wanted Chelsie to wear something different. After everything I did to get her ready this morning, it was
still wrong."
"Here's another example," Jason continued, "the other day I cleaned the kitchen and did a real good job.
I loaded the dishwasher, did the pots and pans, and swept the floor. I thought Heather would really
appreciate all that I was doing to help out. Before I was finished, she walked in and asked, 'How comeyou didn't wipe off the counters?' I wasn't even done, for goodness sake. But instead of noticing all that I had done and thanking me, she focused on the one thing I hadn't finished yet."
"Then there is the 'sex thing,'" Jason continued. "We only messed around a few times before we got
married because we're both Christians. Sex is real important to me, but Heather just isn't interested. I
thought once you got married, everything was supposed to be great. After all I do for Heather, you'd
think she be willing to give me the one thing I really want."
"I do a lot more than most guys. It seems like I'm always giving so much more than I get." Now, looking
like a little boy on the couch, Jason pleaded, "All I want is to be loved and appreciated. Is that too much
to ask?"
Some Of The Nicest Guys You Will Ever Meet
Men like Jason walk into my office on a surprisingly regular basis. These guys come in all shapes and
sizes yet they all have the same basic world view. Let me introduce you to a few more.
Omar
Omar's number one goal in life is to please his girlfriend. Nevertheless, she complains that he is never
emotionally available for her. In fact, every one of his previous girlfriends has had the same complaint.
Since Omar sees himself as such a giver, he can't understand these accusations. Omar states that his
greatest joy in life is making other people happy. He even carries a pager so his friends can get in touch
with him if they need anything.
Todd
Todd prides himself on treating women with honesty and respect. He believes these traits set him apart
from other men and should attract women to him. Though he has many female friends, he rarely dates.
The women he knows tell him what a great listener he is and often call him to share their problems. He
likes feeling needed. These female friends constantly tell him what a great "catch" he will make for
some lucky woman. In spite of the way he treats women, he can't understand why they all seem to be
attracted to jerks, rather than Nice Guys like him.
Bill
Bill is the person to whom everyone turns when they need something. The word "no" just isn't in his vocabulary. He fixes cars for women at his church. He coaches his son's little league baseball team. His
buddies call on him when they need help moving. He looks after his widowed mother every evening after work. Even though it makes him feel good to give to others, he never seems to get as much as he
gives.
Gary
Gary's wife has frequent rage attacks in which she verbally shames and demeans him. Because he is
afraid of conflict and doesn't want to rock the boat, Gary will avoid bringing up subjects that he knows
might make his wife angry. After a fight, he is always the first one to apologize. He cannot recall his
wife ever saying she was sorry for any of her behaviors. In spite of the constant conflict, Gary says he
loves his wife and would do anything to please her.
Rick
Rick, a gay man in his early forties, is in a committed relationship with an alcoholic. Rick came to
counseling to help his partner Jay with his drinking problem. Rick complains that it always feels as if it
is up to him to hold everything together. His hope is that if he can help Jay get sober, he will finally have
the kind of relationship he has always wanted.
Lyle
Lyle, a devout Christian, tries to do everything right. He teaches Sunday school and is an elder in his
church. Nevertheless, he has struggled since adolescence with an addiction to pornography. Lyle
masturbates compulsively, often three to four times a day.
He spends hours every day looking at
sexually explicit websites on the internet. He is terrified that if anyone ever finds out the truth about his
sexual compulsions, his life will be destroyed. He tries to control his problem with prayer and Bible
study, although neither of these
Bapproaches has done much good.
Jose
Jose, a business consultant in his late thirties, has spent the last five years in a relationship with a woman
he considers needy and dependent. Jose began thinking about breaking up the day she first moved in. He
is afraid that his girlfriend wouldn't be able to make it on her own if he left her.
Although he has made several aborted attempts to break up, his girlfriend always becomes such an "emotional basket case" that
he gets back together with her. Jose spends just about every waking moment trying to figure out how to
get out of the relationship without hurting his girlfriend or looking like a jerk.