Premarital Counselling

James and Emma were in love. They had decided to get married, but wanted premarital counselling. In the counselling session, the counsellor said that the most important thing in a marriage is open and honest communication. He then took them through an exercise to practice this kind of open communication. He asked James and Emma personal and probing questions, such as "How many partners have you had before?" "Do you compare your current partner with previous partners?" "Have you ever had a homosexual encounter?" "What is a higher priority, your partner, or your own well-being?" Upon answering a question regarding previous relationships, Emma became very upset that James seemed to enjoy sex with previous partners more than he enjoyed it with her. Founded or unfounded, Emma broke off the engagement as a result. Both James and Emma were very hurt, not only with the breaking off of the engagement, but with some of the things that were uncovered about the other person. And James wondered, is it so important to be completely open and honest with your partner?