The relational well-being of families is an important factor affecting a family's economic success, physical and mental heath, the readiness and success of children in school, and the engagement of youth in positive and productive roles. In short, the strength of family bonds is crucial to a family's capacity to provide, nurture, and care for its…

This literature review examined the relationship between depression and marital interaction patterns in marriages where one spouse is depressed. The social exchange process between the depressed individual and the spouse is dysfunctional in comparison to the processes in non-depressed couples and may be responsible for the maintenance of…

The author focuses on the needs that married couples try to satisfy at the level of nonconsciousness and which, as a rule, produce problems at the cognitive and behavioral levels. Suggestions for the marital therapist are included. (Author)

This paper presents rationale, methodology, and implications for using action plans to facilitate behavior modification of college students in marriage education courses. Case studies are given as illustration of how action plans may be implemented. (Author)

Statements representing specific communication skills were derived from a review of the literature. Instruments were completed by 111 married couples. Scores on the Marital Adjustment Test were used to identify criterion groups as most satisfied and least satisfied. Findings suggest skills identified may be effective for marriage counselors.…

A description is presented of a marital program provided couples by a marital and family therapy training center. Included are the goals, topics, techniques, and procedures for conducting a premarital assessment. (Author)

The participants in this discussion agreed, in general, that the therapist does have the responsibility of guiding the patient towards the decisions that he believes to be most beneficial even if they imply important life decisions or are contrary to the mores of society. (Author/CG)

Uses the Transitionally Unintegrated-Externally Open family system type to address the multiple factors that may enhance or reduce the vulnerability of adolescent marriages. Identifies facilitating and constraining factors on the development of marital system autonomy and competence at the individual, marital, familial, and extra-familial levels.…

Compared personality characteristics of couples in alcoholic and nonalcoholic marriages. Couples in which one spouse was alcoholic showed fewer personality interrelationships than nonalcoholic couples, raising questions about the hypothesis that alcoholic marriage partners complement each other. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic males differed…

Hypothesizes that a relatively large proportion of family life specialists never marry and that, of those who do marry, a relatively large proportion disrupt their marriage by separation or divorce. Examines research that sheds light on this hypothesis. (Author)

Nonpatient couples, couples seeking sex therapy, and couples seeking marital therapy, were asked to report on who they felt should and who actually does assume responsibility in marital role areas. Discrepancy between role ideals and behavior was examined. Marital therapy patients were found to experience the most role strain. (Author)

Examined perspective-taking differences among 259 individuals in high- and 43 individuals in low-adjustment marriages. Four hypotheses were tested that demonstrated that females in high- and low-adjustment marriages did not differ in their perspective-taking ability with others in general. Males and females in high- and low-adjustment groups did…

Describes investigation of ways in which combat decreases marital quality and stability. Results support three models: (1) factors propelling men into combat also make them poor marriage material; (2) combat causes problems that increase marital adversity; and (3) combat intensifies premilitary stress and antisocial behavior which then negatively…

The use of early memories of the marriage relationship in counseling couples provides couples and therapists with insight into individual's convictions about present relationships. This is an extension of the use of early recollections in Adlerian therapy. The literature is reviewed and case examples are provided. (Author/EMK)

Discusses the pursuer-distancer relationship style so as to help counselors recognize this type of interaction and offers several treatment techniques to alleviate it. Demonstrates the relationship between the concepts of parentification and childlike behavior and the pursuer and the distancer. Uses an integrative model of marital therapy as a…