FAILING PARTNERSHIPS : KNOWING WHEN TO CALL IT A DAY............. ( Article by Carp )

Many partnerships just like marriages end in divorce on the grounds of an irretrievable breakdown. In some cases players can get through partners on a yearly basis , in the hope and belief that the perfect one will come along tomorrow. Indeed , some short-lived partnerships don't even make it beyond the initial honeymoon period , such is the acute impatience of players who possess huge egos and unrealistic expectations.
However , what is an irrefutable truth is that every partnership has its up and downs.  The majority of players ( thank God ) sensibly realise that these oscillations are inevitable given the way in which the fickle finger of fate can operate. Results at bridge depend far more at what has gone on at other tables rather than what has happened at yours. 
Nevertheless , when results go against you the partnership does come under pressure , and relationships can suffer as a consequence. So is it possible for relationships to sink to such depths where the prospect of recovery is nil ?  Sadly , the answer is yes. This scenario occurs when the relationship is tainted by the foul whiff of contempt. Whether it comes from you , or at you , that is the moment when the partnership is in doomed . This is the moment to call it a day and move on to pastures new.
Contempt is the most corrosive of all emotions. It transcends sarcastic jibes , or cutting remarks such as " partner....you played that hand like a moron " . Moreover , there is no disguising the contempt which is always etched into player's facial expression. Often , this look is accompanied by a brief sneer , followed by an eye roll to complement a tiny almost imperceptible lift of the top lip on the left side of the mouth . The contemptuous sneer therefore is a dead giveaway that the partnership is in its death throes and can never recover. 
Contempt might well manifest itself in thinly disguised albeit witty put downs or acidic humour. At the other extreme ,  contempt will be the bitter icing on a cake laced apocalyptic criticism . Such an attack will be made against the person rather than the ineptness of a particular bid or play of the cards. In each case at its root there is unbridled anger and disdain , where one player attempts to pronounce superiority over the other through actions designed to be mocking and divisive.
Whether a player is dishing it out or is on the receiving end , contempt is a killer. There is nothing else quite so destructive to partnership harmony and mutual respect. It is without doubt an extreme form of verbal and psychological abuse , both belittling and demeaning in every way.
So my advice is this. If you are in a partnership which is already showing signs of negative behaviour  patterns , bail out before contempt sets in. So what if you say goodbye to a cracking good player , your self confidence and sanity must surely come first. Look for a partner who is far more forgiving and accepting of who you are and how you play the game.