GF Quick Temper/Escalation

Hello all,

I’m (26M) having some struggles with my GF (31F) and would like some general advice. I’m more of the carefree kind of person that’ll let things go and she’s more of the type to become emotionally involved in any topic. This is something that has been prevalent in our 2 year relationship but today we just had another argument that echoes the past conflicts we’ve had:

The Argument:

As we were driving home she mentioned the country music festival I sent her. I responded by saying I don’t remember sending a country music festival but I do remember sending a rock festival (aftershock in Sacramento). She got irritated and said “you never sent me a rock festival. You sent me a country festival.” Then she pulled out her phone and showed me a country festival that I sent her. I said, “Oh yeah I remember that now. Yeah I’d like to go to that but I want to go to the other festival even more.” She immediately responded that I didn’t send her any other festival. ——

As we got home somehow the topic of Christianity/Catholicism came up. (She’s from Mexico and not religious. I’m from the US and have been raised in a Pentecostal family.) At some point she said that Catholics are not Christians. To which I responded that all Catholics are Christians as they believe Jesus Christ as the son of God and the holy trinity. But not all Christians are Catholics as there’s different branches of Christianity such as Protestant and Orthodox and all of the countless branches that stem off of those. Immediately after saying this her tone turned irritated/annoyed/mad and her exact words were, “I’m not going to have this discussion with you because I know that I’m right. I lived in Mexico for 26 years, when you ask someone what they are they say that they’re either Christian or Catholic. They’re not the same.” To which I said, “I agree they aren’t the same. But all Catholics are Christian- not all Christians are Catholic. Christian is a broad term. Catholic is more specific. The same as saying ‘I drive a car’ or ‘I drive a Ford Mustang.’ All Ford Mustangs are cars but not all cars are Ford Mustangs. If people believe that Catholics and Christians are 2 different religions then that is their misconception.”

After that she reiterated herself- including that I need to accept when I’m wrong. To which I said, “We can google it if you’d like.” She said, “No I know I’m right. I don’t need to google it. It don’t care what it says.” Then reiterated about how people say Catholic or Christian in Mexico and that she lived there for 26 years so she knows more than I do about it. I responded by saying, “Of course you know more about what people say and call themselves in Mexico. I’m not arguing that. I’m saying that it’s a misconception and incorrect.” She left the room to go to the kitchen.

During this time I found that I did send her the Aftershock festival and I went to show her in the kitchen- not to prove like “oh look I did send this to you” but to try to move past the argument and show her an event we could go to. She didn’t even look at me or the phone and just said- “I don’t care, I don’t want to see it, I don’t care what it says, I know I’m right. It’s stupid.” Then stormed off and got in the shower.

The point:

Throughout our relationship I feel like she’s incredibly critical of me. Simple things such as these discussions that should never escalate past just a discussion turn into tense, heated moments/arguments.

The Question:

How should I address this with her? When I’ve brought up in the past that I feel like she’s overly critical and quick tempered with me she deflects it by saying it’s because of me, I never admit when I’m wrong, and so on so forth.

Side Note:

She attends a weekly therapy session. Anytime we have any kind of conflict- she throws that at me saying things such as, “That’s why I take therapy. I understand things that you don’t. If you took therapy you’d realize that you’re wrong and the things that you do are wrong.”

(This is relevant to the addressing it with her aspect)