It was hypothesized that unhappily married couples would show a deficit in problem solving by indicating significantly more unresolved problems and would indicate less involvement with one another in both elective free-time activities and shared sexuality. All hypotheses were confirmed. (Author)

Data collected from 161 married couples were analyzed for communication patterns indicative of "domineeringness" and "transactional redundancy" (the degree of randomness contained within a couple's communicative behavior). From this data came the following observations: There is a negative correlation between domineeringness, particularly by the…

The study focuses on the relationship of life event stress and marital dysfunction. Couples in which one or both partners were receiving marital counseling had experienced a significantly greater amount of life stress events during the previous 12-month period than had couples who were not experiencing marital dysfunction. (Author)

"Living together" is examined not simply as a new cultural variant or trial marriage but as the effort of some young adults, particularly on campus, to deal with several fundamental aspects of moving from childhood to adulthood, or an additional "rite de passage." (Author)

Researchers are now attempting to improve techniques for studying stable behavior patterns in family systems over long periods of time, e.g., the marital dyad across several levels of function and dysfunction covering time periods of months to years. One approach to improving this research design is based on the assumptions that longitudinal…

Power modes in marital interactions were investigated in a laboratory observation study at the University of New Hampshire in 1975. Married couples (N=78) were the subjects in this study, whose focus was on the power modes (types of power assertion) used by the partners, shifting attention from the much-considered distribution of power in marriage…

Groups of married couples (N=4) were studied using a measure of their marital communication habits and an intensive personal interview. Analysis of the data revealed that the quality of interpersonal communication between spouses significantly deteriorated across the groups as the degree of suicidal behavior increased. (Author)

A typology of marriages and other intimate relationships is offered based on seven behavioral profiles that partners can exhibit in their interactions with one another. The typology is relatively simple, based upon the main thrust of each partner's behavior in their dyadic system. (Author)

Based on previous research on cohabitation and Levinger's model of marital cohesiveness and dissolution, the hypothesis that a higher level of violence exists in ongoing marriages than in ongoing cohabitating relationships was investigated. Data from a national sample of 2,143 adults did not support this hypothesis. Instead the reverse was found,…

A major problem in the study of marital interaction has been the lack of attention to contextual determinants of differences within couples' behavioral exchanges. To compare spouses' control behaviors in overt and ongoing communication as a function of both conflict and intimacy situational contexts, and to analyze the influence of spouse's role,…

In order to identify behavioral cues which contribute to judgments of marital satisfaction/distress, 40 undergraduate judges rated the level of marital satisfaction of 24 couples shown on videotape and then listed the behavioral cues used in making their judgments. The stimulus tapes were problem-solving interactions of both distressed and…

Identification of age differences as a major characteristic of satisfying heterosexual love relationships was investigated. Married couples (N=102), divided equally into three groups, i.e., young, middle-aged, and older adults, completed a 108-item instrument, rating each statement in terms of how well it described their current love relationship.…

The authors discuss the concepts of open marriage, couples, children, sex, and divorce with the authors of a book on open marriage, Nena and George O'Neill. (HLM)

Outlines conceptual distinction among avoidance, cooperation, and competitive conflict resolution strategies used by marital partners. Couples (N=43) were audiotaped as they discussed previous disagreements. Found the temporal aspects of speech, including turn-taking and interruptions, need to be considered in the study of couples' conflict…

Recent studies have investigated the transition of relationships from a more intimate to a less intimate state--the depenetration process. Various phases of interpersonal conflict in the dissolution of marital dyads have been described, and factors indicating that a marriage might be "in trouble" have been identified. Processes that are…