Describes an exercise designed to help individuals and couples explore their attitudes toward extramarital relations, and analyze its causes and consequences. Presents several potential issues which typically develop. Provides guidelines for using the exercise. (RC)

The no-fault provisions of the California Family Law Act of 1969 recognized the reality of marital breakdown by removing from the substance and language of the law its strong overtones of moral condemnation. The divorce rate itself remained unaffected. The frequency of spousal support awards declined significantly. (Author/JAC)

The reinforcers that are most potent in affecting the day-to-day satisfaction levels of married couples differ according to the level of distress. Marital distress is characterized by a tendency to react strongly to the delivery of punishers and to respond in kind. (Author)

A model for a brief, focused group psychotherapy experience for women, led by women therapists, is suggested as an effective means to ease the transition from marriage and to allow a redefinition of the self as a single individual. (Author)

Supported the hypotheses that blaming one's spouse for marital problems is negatively associated with marital satisfaction and perceived personal control over conflicts is positively associated with marital satisfaction. The wife's satisfaction was found to be related to her perception of both husband's and wife's contributions. (Author)

Described a psychological autopsy analyzing deaths modified for analyzing marriage and separation. This interview and investigation technique was administered to a pilot sample of divorced, married, and unmarried adults. Significant differences were found between the groups on four of the six measured variables. (RC)

Describes a path analytic approach to a model of extramarital sexual permissiveness. Variables include age, gender, education, religiosity, political liberalism, premarital sexual permissiveness, autonomy, marital happiness, and power. (JAC)

Notes when long-standing marriage suddenly becomes conflictual, one precipitant can be the recent death of parent on one of partners. Claims main goal of therapy is to facilitate bereaved partner's mourning and choosing an effective therapeutic method depends on couple's capacity for mutual empathy and support and their need for insight.…

Discusses the importance of assessing the impact infertility has on couples/individuals and understanding the relevance of this impact in the context of psychological treatment. Infertility's negative impact can be minimized by therapeutic intervention. Three psychological-behavioral categories for couples are posited, with case studies. (Author)

Small isolated theories can be restated as choice and exchange theory; in effect, incorporating them into the theory. The procedure employed is to state the implicit or explicit propositions of the small theories in ordinary language, then restate and extend them. (Author)

There are four strategies spouses may attempt to employ in cases of conflict: authority, control, influence, and manipulation. Rates of marital dissolution are a function of the relative equality between spouses in terms of the types of conflict-resolution strategies they are able to employ. (Author)

Proposes a technique using paradoxical prescription with families to successfully move away from the identified patient to an emphasis on family and marital dynamics. Presents three clinical illustrations to demonstrate the procedure. Poses some research questions regarding the use of this technique and the need for further refinement. (Author)

Proposes a social-psychological model of the dissolution decision in marriage based on prior theoretical formulations. Sequential in character and emphasizing the duality of the marital relationship, the model modifies and refines previous theoretical efforts, and seeks to extend their explanatory power by incorporating various principles of…

This paper examines the impact of individual and family life transitions on marital relationships from a social exchange perspective. The first section of the paper reviews and integrates several social exchange perspectives, derived from both sociological and social psychological traditions, in particular the works of Thibaut and Kelly (1959),…

Presents the second part of a cognitive model of family conflict. Proposes that high efficacy enhances persistence in family problem solving while low efficacy inhibits such efforts, and that chronic low efficacy may lead to learned helplessness responses in family members. (Author)