Understanding Men's Fear of Commitment

It's one of the worst realizations in the world: the man you love is commitment-phobic. If you keep your eyes open at the start, however, you can identify men's fear of commitment  from the start, saving yourself a lot of time, energy and grief.

The words a man uses are important. If the man in your life can't say that he loves you, it is a major sign that he is afraid of commitment. Think about the words he uses when he talks about you or the relationship. If he doesn't compliment you or refer to your relationship, it could mean he's afraid to commit to you.

Think about your sex life. If a man is commitment-phobic, he may leave right after sex, act cold after it or avoid conversation. Think about whether he allows you to stay the night at his home; if not, it could mean he's scared of commitment.

If you and a man have been together for some time and he hasn't mentioned you meeting his family, this is a sign that he's afraid of committing to you. It's normal, after a period of time, to introduce your partner to your family. The same goes for his friends-if you haven't met his friends, it could be a sign he's afraid for you to meet them because that would take your relationship to another level.

Think about how your man acts around you in public. Does he let people know the two of you are together; does he compliment you or hold your hand? If not, he could be trying to distance himself from you so that people think he's single.

Think about how your man talks about marriage. Does he seem especially against it or long-term relationships? The key to how a man thinks about marriage and relationships can usually be seen in how they talk about other marriages and relationships.