Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) posits that emotional reactions to a partner's behavior can be as important to the relationship as the behavior itself. This study examined whether acceptance (a) is distinct from relationship sentiment, (b) mediates the link between a partner's behavioral frequency and own relationship satisfaction,…

Analyzed relational control behaviors and interaction patterns of 51 couples representing marital life span. Identified three distinct phases of development: short-term couples relied heavily on "equivalence" acts; intermediate couples were more likely to "structure the conversation" but avoided competing for control; and long-term couples relied…

Tested the hypothesis that distressed spouses are more reactive to immediate events than nondistressed couples. Couples recorded positive, negative and neutral events and satisfaction levels. Distressed couples reported lower rates of positive behavior and that marital satisfaction depended more on frequency of recent positive or negative events.…

Examines two factors of dyadic relationships on the basis of communicative behaviors: domineeringness, an individual measure based on one-up messages, and dominance, a joint measure based on the dyad's transactional patterns. These variables are associated with differential levels of dyadic satisfaction, degree of interspousal understanding, and…

Notes that interpersonal conflict among family members and between spouses can cause dissatisfaction and threaten feasibility of marriage. Defines Family Defense Mechanisms (FDMs) as fixed patterns of behaviors that, when followed by spouses and other family members, enable them to better manage their interpersonal differences and conflict.…

This study was conducted to examine the moderating effects of attributions on the relationship between marital satisfaction and marital violence. It was predicted that distressed spouses who made more maladaptive attributions for partner behavior would be more likely to engage in marital violence than would distressed spouses who offered fewer…

Suggests do's, don'ts, and maybe's for the wives of superintendents who must acquire the finesse to live with what often appears to be contradictory and clashing sets of values and points of view. (Author/WM)

Examined susceptibility of marital observations to purposeful faking. Behavioral observations of couples' problem-solving behavior during a conflict-eliciting task were obtained under neutral instructions and under instruction to fake. Evidence for differential responsiveness of marital types to faking instructions was limited and evident only in…

Data from 180 divorced and remarried men and women suggest lack of normative integration of two relationships established by remarriage after divorce. Women were less acceptant; they preferred greater social distance in former spouse-current spouse interaction. Comparisons of expectations for men and women showed no differential standards by…

Compared interactions of 11 dissatisfied and 11 satisfied couples on basis of trained observers' ratings of spouses' behavior through time on 3 scales: withdrawn/involved, hostile/friendly, and displeasure/pleasure. Dissatisfied coupled evidenced significantly lower mean ratings of hostility and displeasure, but no differences in withdrawal.…

Observed 42 couples during emotional interactions: each spouse discussed an upsetting incident unrelated to the marriage. Results showed the proportion of approval or caring behavior expressed was directly related to marital adjustment. Overall, negative behavior appeared to inhibit the probability of subsequent expressions of complaints by…

Applied a behavioral model of marriage to premarital couples to assess predictive validity of an exchange measure. Results provide evidence that unrewarding communication patterns precede development of relationship distress. Implications for the behavioral model of marriage and development of programs designed to prevent marital distress are…

Couples (N=26) completed a daily event and mood checklist about husbands for 14 consecutive days. The group-averaging strategy generally used to describe event-mood correlations was compared to a tabulation of significant individual correlations. Observed correlations were consistent with previous studies. (Author/RC)

Examined the relationship of instrumental and affectional behavioral events to short- and long-term marital satisfaction. Results showed a significant negative relationship between frequency of displeasurable instrumental events and ratings of marital satisfaction. The most important finding was the degree to which wives' self-esteem correlated…

Focuses on the early years of marriage, including the sexual relationship. Interviews, with 80 persons married five years or less, showed considerable variation in first-year frequencies with few normative guidelines. Despite the relatively low frequencies reported, respondents consider sex important or very important in marriage. (Author/JAC)