Verified by 
Should women spend time, energy, and emotion on a man who may never be a part of their future? All too often, women say to themselves or their friends: “Well, he wouldn’t commit in the past, but I’m different. I have more patience than the other women he dated, and I am more understanding than most women. I can help him.”
If you have heard yourself saying the words “I can help him,” think of yourself as being trapped in the “wounded bird syndrome” in which your desire to nurse someone back to health is so strong that it clouds your logical thinking.
Before getting too involved with a commitment-phobic man, consider asking yourself these 20 Questions to Finding New Love and Marriage. Then make a conscious effort to understand what is most important to you. Also, watch his body language and his actions towards you. If you are jumping through hoops for the commitment-phobic man and thinking you can nurse him back to love—think again. Have you read this book from 2004, Men Who Can't Love? Although there have been others, this was an early red flag.
Many commitment-phobic men are reliving a dysfunctional family role (in fact, some women are in this trap as well).
A dysfunctional family role
As David M. Allen tells us in his Psychology Today post, “Some commitment-phobes may not truly be afraid of commitment per se. People who appear to fit this bill may in some cases be playing a dysfunctional family role originally dubbed the go-between by psychiatrist Sam Slipp.”
What are the four big risks for women?
Whether he is stuck in a dysfunctional role or incapable of taking on the role of a trusted partner, a woman who dates such a man does so at her peril. Keep in mind that he may have a list of ideals—and you may well meet his 50 requirements. But once he realizes this, he will add another challenge. Now you are up to 51 hoops to jump through. So if you really want to keep dating the commitment-phobe, consider the risks.
1. Delusion takes over: As the two of you become increasingly intimate, you begin to think to yourself: "I know he really likes me. I give him unlimited space, joyful sex, and we laugh a lot. This can work." Pinch yourself. You're delusional. You are invested in the relationship and he is just there for the sex.
2. Self-esteem takes a hit: As you invest more of yourself in Mr. Non-Commitment, and he does not return the affection in little ways, you begin to feel unworthy. What little ways? A card. Spur of the moment surprises. Flowers or little gifts for no reason at all. Do you dream of such joys? Snap out of it, with this guy it will never happen.
3. Time is lost: The time you invest in the man whom you wish could be Mr. Right, but who does not want to be anyone's Mr. Right, is time you take away from finding a loving companion. Instead, think about going out with some fun girlfriends or settling for Mr. Good Enough.
4. Heartbreak looms: If you are willing to risk the heartbreak of a man who cannot commit, just make certain he is worthy of your tears. When the day comes for you to admit that he was your wishful-thinking-fantasy, you want to remain grateful for whatever joy you shared. So get out before you become angry.
Are men who can't commit simply afraid to commit?
Whether you really want to stay single or settle down is a matter of personal opinion. But men should be aware that ambivalence can simply be a way of masking their fears.
Those men who put up walls to protect themselves from commitment also risk fencing off love. In some ways, the man who can't commit might be the one who suffers the greatest loss, because even after meeting "the one," he remains afraid.
Copyright 2012 Rita Watson; All rights reserved (updated 2017).
Follow Rita Watson on Twitter.
