"Reciprocity," a social simulation game based on exchange theory, was developed to study dynamics of power relationships in the context of marriage and the family. The manner in which Reciprocity may be used to study power in family relationships is illustrated in terms of a husband-wife and a parent-teen version. (Author)

Presents initial support and validation of an inventory based upon a three-stage synthesized model of forgiveness in marital relationships. The measure achieved internal reliability, and a confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the resulting subscales are a good fit with the data. Further results offered preliminary support for the…

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…

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…

A model of the effects of two types of stress in everyday marital interaction on change in depressive symptoms is investigated. Mediating variables are unfavorable reflected appraisals, low competency, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Participants (N=98 couples) were interviewed twice. The data supported the model. (Author/EMK)

The authors present a model which follows the development of a male-female relationship through dating, marriage and divorce. They discuss the factors that cause friction between a husband and wife and offer procedures for coping with such friction. (SE)

This article describes the use of a pre-marriage contract in working with teenage couples and their parents. The contract is an aid in focusing on the practical aspects of marriage preparation, allowing a more direct subsequent focus on the feelings of family members. (Author)

Little effort has been made to systematically assess the determinants and consequences of marital jealousy which affect marital, familial and extra-familial expectations, interactions and behavior. A preliminary attempt to rectify this omission provides a conceptual/theoretical perspective on jealousy dynamics in marriage. Marital jealousy, a…

The tenets of traditional sex therapy based on dysfunction and pathology are critiqued, and a feminist model proposed. Recognizing that equity and power issues, particularly in heterosexual relationships, are basic issues, women and issues of gender are at the center of the model. Three cases illustrate the model. (Author/EMK)

Observational studies of marital interaction have become increasingly popular in recent years, resulting from trends in family research including a movement towards the measurement of behavior rather than attitudes. In fact, there is now a proliferation of coding systems, but no "user's guide" for the researcher. This paper overviews the…