The sexual genogram combines aspects of the sex history with the genogram/family journey to examine the impact of the partners' family loyalties, secrets, and "scripts" on their sexual functioning. The exploration process offers an opportunity for major change to occur. Technique for this method is discussed, along with relevant case…

Describes an interactive video system designed to demonstrate differential approaches to family therapy using identical therapy situations. The primary purpose of the project is to resolve some of the confusion many novice family therapists experience while being exposed to the numerous family therapy approaches. Technical aspects of the…

Incongruency in role expectations produces strain in the marriage. By studying 104 couples divided into experimental and control groups, it was found that there was no more role expectation incongruency in the couples seeking marriage counseling than in those not seeking counseling. It might be that the major differences lies in how couples of…

Follow-up data from 10 couples who used behavior contracts in marriage counseling are presented. Conclusions suggest that contracts are effective in initiating positive marital behavior but not necessary for continued marital satisfaction. Rationale and specifics of contract construction are detailed. (Author)

The author, famous in the field of family counseling, relates his experiences and subsequent inferences in the field of family life. (RWP)

John L. Schimel, M.D. moderates a discussion by three young married couples concerning areas of possible sexual conflict. (CG)

In an interview, a marriage counselor answers questions concerning sex in marriage. He concludes that sex alone is too narrow a base for a marriage to rest upon and for a successful marriage, there is a need for a deeper basis of companionship. (Author/CG)

The case study analyzes the interactions of a family with a physically handicapped child during periods of change. It is pointed out that the child became the "scapegoat" over problems between husband and wife. (CL)

Administered personality tests to groups selected to represent the various stages of the divorce process. Results indicated intensified feelings of depression, anxiety, and hostility as subjects entered marriage counseling. However, by the sixth to twelfth month after the divorce, most of these negative feelings had disappeared. (Author)

"Matesim" was designed to help users identify areas of conflict and fulfillment with potential mates and aid rational clarification of values. The computer simulates marriage, evaluates the consequences in terms of user's values, and provides analysis of user's values compared with those of counselor and peer group. (Author/BEF)

Spouses frequently depict changes in important aspects of marital relationships as threats to the permanence of those relationships. However, the effects on permanence are better explained in terms of the partners' viewpoints or ways of interpreting the changes. Six common polarities of viewpoint illustrate this point. (Author)

This paper incorporates relevant knowledge about adult development into an understanding of marital conflict, suggests hypotheses to be explored in the marital evaluation and subsequent therapy, and illustrates the concepts presented with case material. (Author)

Systematic instruction in conflict management is an effective means for the group counselor to help couples resolve their conflicts and develop a support system for meaningful resolution of future conflict. With this appraoch group members help to develop new behaviors that enhance the intimacy of the marriage. (Author)

This study is of heterosexually married couples in which one partner reports having experienced same-sex attraction and both partners report satisfaction with their marriage despite facing such constraints. Analysis suggested a number of themes related to how spouses learned about their partners' experiences of same-sex attraction, motivations for…