Ha! Finally a term for males PMSing. Irritable Male Syndrome or IMS is a term to describe men who get irritated with everything and seem to blame everyone esp gfs and wives on things, and say their fav phrase, "i need my space". Males seem to be takin on the roles of females!!!
Four "red alerts" or warning signs of impending IMS damage to the relationship, from the least to the most destructive.
1. Criticism: "In my mind, my wife appeared determined to bug me," says Diamond. "I didn't see myself as criticizing her, but simply pointing out a problem she was causing me. For example, she'd take longer than I expected to leave a party and that really annoyed me, even though logically I knew it takes her longer to say goodbye."
2. Contempt: "My wife and I didn't get into this too much, but in my practice I see a lot of men who call their wives stupid or say they can never do anything right." Says Tim, "I love my car and usually keep it immaculate, but when I'm in an IMS mode, I let it get dirty and think about selling it.
3. Defensiveness: Like Susan's husband, Diamond found himself on the defensive. "If my wife pointed out I spilled some soup on the counter, I wouldn't thank her for pointing it out. Instead I'd say something like, 'you are always nagging at me.'"
4. Stonewalling: And like Tim, Diamond held back his emotions and sat around looking mad but denying he was. "The reason men hold back their emotions isn't because they are unemotional. Instead they fear becoming overwhelmed and breaking down," Diamond says.
