In 1986 (n = 359) and in 2003 (n = 111), single never married women enrolled at a large university in the mid-west completed questionnaires designed to investigate their willingness to participate in 13 different alternative marital and family forms. "Egalitarian" marriage was ranked first by women in both time periods with 93.5 and 95.6 percent…

The current study examined the learning processes involved in professionally supported self-directed couple relationship education (CRE). Fifty-nine couples completed Couple CARE, a systematic, self-directed CRE program designed in flexible delivery mode to be completed at home. Couples watched a DVD introducing key relationship ideas and skills…

This investigation was the second in a series of empirical studies on marital enrichment training using the Training in Marital Enrichment (TIME) model. In addition to further study of the TIME model, interest was also directed in the current study to more fully clarifying the nature of change in the model by including a measure of the construct…

"Marriage" is treated as a mental concept that evolves in a developmental sequence of four qualitatively distinct stages: Magical, Idealized Conventional, Individualistic, and Affirmational. Each stage is illustrated with excerpts from Ingmar Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage. Some applications for marriage counselors are suggested. (Author)

A simple test is described that has proven highly effective when used by married couples. It can be self-administered. Couples who use it can learn a great deal about their relationship and do so in terms of positive insights which they can then use to promote mutual growth. (Author)

This review examines the impact of impairment on marital relationships of the elderly and barriers to therapeutic treatment. The training and skills needed to work with the elderly in a therapeutic setting and behavioral therapy approaches are also discussed. (Author/BL)

Excerpts from counseling sessions highlight the effects of a developmentally delayed, autistic-like child upon a marriage and family. The counselor points out the parents' continuing frustrations from not receiving clear guidelines and notes the importance of a case manager. (CL)

Systematic training in interpersonal communication skills was conducted with partners in deteriorated marriages who acknowledged a low level of communication as a major problem. The results indicated that trained couples improved significantly in their interpersonal skills and in their ability to elicit self-exploration from their spouse. The…

In response to need for framework within which to fit therapeutic interventions, introduces some theoretical considerations about relevancy of communications to disrupted marriages. Presents advisable cases for counselor intervention. (Author)

Tested the hypothesis that there is a higher level of marital adjustment among mothers than among involuntarily childless women. Mothers (N=40) and involuntarily childless women (N=40) completed Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results showed a higher level of marital adjustment among mothers than among involuntarily childless women. (Author)

Examines reports of marital problems from couples at different stages of the life course. Results indicated that presenting problems were generally the same, regardless of whether the couple was newly married, in the childbearing years, or married over a decade. Moreover, wives reported more problems in the their relationships than did husbands,…

Presents model of marital interactions based on nature of fit between each spouse's belief systems, particularly those related to fears inherent in intimacy. Proposes that such interactions can be belief-confirming, lead to alienation, conflict, or unhappiness; or belief-disconfirming, leading to intimacy, successful conflict resolution, and…

Reviewed cases of 103 couples seen in systems-oriented marital therapy to identify outcome and treatment issues as a function of marital paradigm. Found 92 percent of the 38 cases where both partners identified with the same basic paradigm were judged to be treatment successes, while only 60 percent of the cases with different paradigms were…

Identifies a natural typology of drinking partnerships in early marriage. Results show an interpretable five-cluster solution that evidenced significant and meaningful relationships with both marital functioning and drinking consequences. This multidimensional notion of a drinking partnership may be useful in future efforts to understand the…

This article reviews the development of community marriage initiatives and their relationship with family professionals, with particular emphasis on sociohistorical context. We describe five leading community marriage initiatives, discuss the state of the evaluation research, and propose new directions for this promising area of work.