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Search - Marriage Contracts and Couple Therapy: Hidden Forces in Intimate Relationships

Marriage Contracts and Couple Therapy Hidden Forces in Intimate Relationships
Author: Clifford J. Sager

Why do so many marriages fail to fulfill their purposes for family, for children, for the emotional and security needs of adults? At our present marriage and divorce rates, nearly half the marriages in the United States are destined for the divorce courts; in addition, untold numbers of people suffer because of ungratifying or destructive unions... more ». This volume brings out the significant role of the individual unwritten contract encompassing the expectations and promises both conscious and unconscious that each partner brings to the marriage or committed relationship. The husband might expect his wife to be independent and his wife may want romantic closeness, sharing of household tasks, and equal give-and-take in the sexual relationship. When their expectations and needs do not mesh and lead to trouble in the operational interactional contract the way they work together or against one another in their daily lives the need for therapy may become evident. Explores What is Unwritten and Unspoken Marriage Contract and Couple Therapy uses this concept of the marriage contract to illuminate how and why the many marriages do not fulfill their purposes and to demonstrate a practical therapeutic approach to preventing and treating marital problems. For the therapist it is a tremendously powerful tool in helping the couple uncover and explore the various unwritten and unspoken terms of their individual contracts. As husband, wife, and therapist become aware of the different contractual clauses and focus on areas of basic disagreement, the partners can make quid pro quo concessions, working toward a single joint contract that is agreed upon at all levels of awareness. On the basis of the informal, individual contracts revealed in therapy, Dr. Sager shows how the therapist can conceptualize each partner as resembling one of seven behavioral profiles such as equal, romantic, childlike and predict an interactional pattern in various partnership combinations. He also describes the contractual clause combinations which can lead to congruence, to complementarity, or to conflict in the interactional contract and in the development of a single joint contract. Detailed case examples of special value are the therapeutic principles and techniques used in working with the contract concept in marital therapy. These techniques enable the therapist to evolve an eclectic and dynamic approach by drawing on many theories and modalities. In addition, the chapter on sexual expectations in a committed relationship puts into perspective the changing views of sexuality in marriage and explores new treatment alternatives. Case histories, including detailed contracts, illustrate the many possible outcomes of marital therapy in the light of the great variety of expectations and unwritten contracts which couples bring to their relationship and, finally, into therapy. The marriage contract is a concept with broad applicability, as Dr. Sager shows in the final chapter, where he deals with the use of the contract in other relationships, as well as in education and prevention. Now, when the role of marriage in our changing society is being widely questioned, Marriage Contracts and Couple Therapy points the way to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of marital conflict.

ISBN-13: 9780876301302
ISBN-10: 0876301308
Pages: 335
Rating:

Currently 3/5 Stars.

3 stars, based on 1 rating

Publisher: Brunner-Routledge
Book Type: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Sociology >> General
Medicine >> Internal Medicine

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