A rational-emotive theory of marital dysfunction and marital therapy

This article first discusses some rational-emotive perspectives on marital and couples therapy, including what constitutes a good relationship, some important differences between rational-emotive and other couples therapy approaches, and an RET classification of relationship problems. Second, this article also sketches out ways in which social exchange principles can be integrated into rational-emotive couples therapy.This is a revised version of a paper that originally appeared in A. Ellis and M. Bernard's (Eds.) 1985 text,Applications of Rational Emotive Therapy, Plenum Publishing Co., New York.     

Social psychology, ‘marital rape exemptions’, and privacy

A 50-state statutory search revealed that variations exist in marital rape exemptions throughout the United States. States handle the question of marital rape in one of three ways: (1) by abolishing the exemption for husbands; (2) by qualifying the exemption; or (3) by allowing the exemption. Although marital rape is a topic that has been largely ignored by social psychology, it is an area ripe for psycho-legal analysis. Possible relationships between social psychology, marital rape exemptions, and privacy are discussed against a background of a psychological jurisprudence.     

Late adolescents' perspectives on marital rape: the impact of gender and fraternity/sorority membership.

Although recent studies of marital rape have examined both victims' and perpetrators' social and psychological characteristics, little attention has been directed to the attitudes of others toward marital rape. Using a systematic sample of college students, this study examined attitudes toward marital rape--in particular, the impact of gender and fraternity/sorority membership on respondents' (1) views regarding marital rape compared to rape by a stranger; (2) feelings about possible actions a woman who is a victim of marital rape can take; and (3) attitudes toward legislation pertaining to marital rape. It was found that college women were significantly more likely than college men to say they strongly agree that marital rape and stranger rape should be treated as similar crimes. In addition, nonfraternity men were significantly more likely than fraternity men to indicate that they strongly approve of marital rape legislation and that husbands who perpetrate marital rape should be prosecuted. Sorority membership had little impact on women's responses.     

Gaslighting: A marital syndrome

This paper is concerned with certain male behaviors during and after their extramarital affairs and the impact of those behaviors and associated attitudes on the men's spouses. The observations cited here are drawn from clinical samples but seemingly have some features in common with what appears in nonclinical populations as well. Not only the husbands but also male therapists may contribute to the women's distress through mislabeling the women's reactions and through continuation of certain stereotypical attitudes that reflect negatively on the wife whose husband has had an affair.Gertrude Zemon Gass, PhD, and William C. Nichols, EdD, are clinical psychologists and marital and family therapists in independent practice.     

A cross-cultural study of rape

Rape is often considered a crime and, as such. is subject to punishment. This paper reports a test of a “deterence theory” of rape with a cross-cultural study which uses a sample of societies drawn from the Human Relations Area Files. Fraternal interest group theory is also tested. This theory argues that the presence of fraternal interest groups, power groups of related males, predicts the occurrence of rape in a society. Although the results support both theories, a composite theory, using both deterrence and fraternal interest group theories, was found to provide a better explanation for the occurrence of rape than either theory alone.     

A cross-cultural examination of the relation of marital communication behavior to marital satisfaction.

Numerous studies have examined the communication behaviors of Western, primarily North American, couples and have demonstrated a robust and reliable association between marital satisfaction and couple communication. However, there has been relatively less attention given to the generalizability of these findings to non-Western couples. To address this issue, the authors conducted an observational study of marital communication among couples from 3 different cultural groups: 50 White American couples, 52 Pakistani couples in Pakistan, and 48 immigrant Pakistani couples in America. The results show that positive and negative communication behaviors were associated with marital satisfaction within each of the 3 cultural groups. However, the American group's marital satisfaction was more strongly related to marital communication behaviors than was that of the Pakistani group and, to a lesser extent, the immigrant group.     

The quantity and quality of marital interaction related to marital satisfaction: A behavioral analysis

An assessment instrument is presented for the evaluation of the quantity and quality of dyadic interaction, as well as for the daily recording of behaviors presented and omitted which influence marital satisfaction. Comparison of data from ten happy couples and from ten couples entering therapy indicated two distinct dysfunctional patterns among distressed couples, with significantly different patterns of time-together and positive/negative ratios differentiating the happy versus therapy groups. Independent behavioral recording for 14 consecutive days significantly increased husband-wife agreement on a traditional adjustment questionnaire without significantly increasing or decreasing the level of satisfaction being assessed. There was no difference between groups as to interspousal agreement on amount of time together. However, the happy couples agreed on daily quality ratings of the 72 15-minute segments significantly more often than did the distressed couples. Couples at the extremes of the happy-distressed continuum reported rewarding and punishing, respectively, in response to the partners presence, regardless of behaviors emitted. Midrange happy couples defined "pleasant" as positive behaviors presented; midrange distressed couples defined "pleasant" as negative behaviors omitted. Theoretical and clinical implications of behavioral analysis of sequential patterns are discussed.     

A model of resilience and marital satisfaction

This article examined the hypothesis that resilience mediates the relationship between marital satisfaction and a host of relevant variables, including spousal attachment, social support, and affect. Participants were 195 married individuals, who completed online surveys about their marriage. Importantly, the findings indicated that resilience has a direct effect on marital satisfaction. In addition, affect and social support were each shown to indirectly impact satisfaction through resilience. The relationships between spousal attachment, resilience, and satisfaction were more complicated than predicted and are further discussed. Overall, the results demonstrate the importance of resilience in marital satisfaction.     

Attribution of blame in rape cases: A review of the impact of rape myth acceptance,gender role conformity and substance use on victim blaming

This article reviews research literature examining the effects of key factors that influence individual's attitudes towards victims of rape. The impact of rape myths, gender roles and substance use on attributions of blame in cases of rape are discussed. The phenomenon of victim-blaming within such cases is explored with reference to the attribution theory to help explain why rape victims are sometimes seen as deserving of their misfortune. Findings indicate that men demonstrate higher rape myth acceptance than women and attribute higher levels of blame to victims than women; women who violate traditional gender roles are attributed more blame than those women who do not; and women who consume alcohol prior to their attack are attributed higher levels of blame than those who are not intoxicated. The findings are discussed with reference to the implications for the Criminal Justice System and future interventions for both victims and perpetrators of rape.     

The effects of marital adjustment and spouse involvement on the behavioral treatment of agoraphobia: A meta-analytic review

Abstract

In a meta-analysis of 12 recently published therapy outcome studies, the effects of marital distress and spouse-involved therapy on the outcome of exposure-based treatments for agoraphobiawere evaluated. Analyses indicated that the better the pre-treatment marital functioning of the patient, the greater the reduction in agoraphobic symptomatology up to one year following treatment. The effectiveness of spouse-involved exposure treatment, at least as currently practiced, was not found to be significantly different from the effectiveness of the more commonly used spouse-noninvolved exposure treatments. Specific research suggestions which may assist in providing a better understanding of the relations among agoraphobia, marital functioning, treatment modality, and treatment outcome are offered. In addition, we present guidelines for the conduct and reporting of future agoraphobia treatment research.     

Prebirth marital interactions and postbirth marital development

A considerable body of research supports the general statement that “couples who before the birth of their first child are characterized by positive mutuality, partner autonomy, and the ability to confront problems and regulate negative affect are responsive to the needs of their infants, promote their autonomy and have more secure and autonomous children, as seen throughout the first 4 years of life” (Heinicke, 1995). The implications for infant mental health are profound, but more needs to be known about what specific prebirth marital qualities interact with and anticipate postbirth marital and child functioning. This is a study of the association between the nature of the couple's prebirth interaction and their marital adaptation during the first 2 years of the child's life. Linking pre- and postbirth marital functioning, the frequency of negative affect and off-task scores, as well as the inability to resolve their issues in the prebirth marital interaction, anticipated a declining or consistently low postbirth marital adaptation.     

Multiplicity of marital adjustment ratings: A Suggestion

Abstract

Recent discussions of “reality” will be argued as having failed to differentiate clearly between two levels: the level of things, people and events that can, for most purposes, reasonably be taken as existing “out there”; and the level of the meanings that can be applied to them by an observer. An anarchistic approach will be recommended.     

A review of the literature relating to rape victim blaming: An analysis of the impact of observer and victim characteristics on attribution of blame in rape cases

Historically, many studies have examined rape victim blaming among various observers, using a vignette methodology in which victim characteristics were manipulated. However, a gap in the research concerns a clear distinction between victim and observer characteristics and its separate influence on rape victim blaming. The current paper explores this distinction by examining the victim characteristics of gender, sexuality, degree of resistance exhibited, and victim–perpetrator relationship, as well as the observer characteristics of gender, professional status, gender role attitudes, and rape myth acceptance in relation to rape victim blame. Findings indicate that these variables have significant effects on rape blame attribution. A number of theoretical standpoints including the Just World Theory, Defensive Attribution Hypothesis, and notion of Homophobia are discussed in relation to the findings with the aim of enabling interpretation of the results. The limitations associated with the vignette methodology are also identified and discussed, along with reference to the development of newer methodologies and their contribution to the field.     

A validity study of existential/dialectical marital questionnaire [EDMQ]: A psychometric questionnaire for assessing marital interaction

This paper reports the successful development of a psychometric questionnaire for analyzing marital functioning and interaction based on an existential/dialectical model originally presented by Charny as the basis for a clinical model for rating couples,Existential/Dialectical Marital Profile [EDMP]. The clinical model and psychometric questionnaire address five main areas of functioning in marriage: family management, companionship, relationship and communication, attraction and sexuality, and parenting; as well as five main dimensions of marital relationship: competence, commitment, respect, power, and closeness.Presented at the Conference of the International Family Therapy Association, Amsterdam, May, 1993. This study was completed as a master's thesis by Shlomit Asineli in collaboration with and under the supervision of Professor Israel Charny at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University.     

Judgments of marital rape as a function of honor culture,masculine reputation threat,and observer gender: A cross-cultural comparison between Turkey,Germany, and the UK

Previous research has shown that there is higher tolerance of violence against women in cultures with salient gender-specific honor norms, especially when the violence occurs in intimate relationships and in response to threat to male honor. The present cross-cultural study (N = 398) extended these findings to sexual aggression (i.e., marital rape) by comparing participants from a culture that emphasizes honor (Turkey) and participants from cultures without strong honor traditions (Germany and Britain). Turkish participants blamed the victim and exonerated the perpetrator more than did German and British participants. In all cultural groups, participants blamed the victim and exonerated the perpetrator more when the husband's reputation was threatened than in the absence of such threat, and in all cultural groups, men blamed the victim and exonerated the perpetrator more than women. Yet, the effect of masculine reputation threat and this pattern of gender differences were somewhat more pronounced among Turkish than German or British participants. Results exploring the predictive role of honor norms at the individual level beyond rape myth acceptance and traditional gender role attitudes revealed that honor norms were the primary predictor of rape perceptions and blame attributions in Turkey (an honor culture), but not in Germany and Britain (dignity cultures) where rape myth acceptance was the strongest predictor. These results provide insights into the cultural factors influencing marital rape judgments in ways that may undermine victim's well-being and fair handling of rape cases, and highlight the domains most urgently in need of potential intervention.     

Cognitive marital therapy

This article reviews recent applications of cognitive therapy to the treatment of marital distress. Three categories of cognitive phenomena that can decrease marital satisfaction and elicit dysfunctional interactions between spouses are described. First, automatic thoughts that comprise an individual's stream-of-consciousness thinking about marital events can be biased by systematic cognitive distortions. Inaccurate attributions about the causes of marital problems are a major form of such automatic thoughts. Second, individuals' behaviors toward their partners are influenced by their expectancies about the probabilities of the partner's subsequent responses, and these expectancies also are susceptible to systematic distortion. Third, an individual's unrealistic or irrational beliefs about the nature of intimate relationships can produce distress and dysfunctional behavioral responses toward the partner. Methods for assessing and modifying these dysfunctional cognitions, particularly in conjoint treatment, are described. Similarities and differences between cognitive therapy and rational-emotive therapy in the treatment of marital problems are noted.     

Preschool children and marital conflict: A constructive view

Effects of marital conflict on children are well documented, but few studies have examined the impact of constructive conflict. This paper examines scenarios of largely constructive marital conflict, and their relations with their preschool children behaviours, in naturalistic situations in the home. Participants were married couples and their preschool child, studied over three years (n = 33 at T1), with children aged about 2 years at the outset. Microanalytic observational coding of marital interactions and children's responses were conducted and contingency analyses were performed. Links were found between parents' relational control strategies and non-verbal affect and children's responses to parents' constructive conflicts. For example, parents' positive affect and children's interfering in conflict scenarios were associated. Children's interference in conflicts was associated with triadic relational sequences, regardless of parents' particular relational control strategies. Findings are discussed in terms of perspectives on understanding children's reactions to constructive conflicts in terms of broader marital and child systems.     

Communication patterns during marital conflict: A cross-cultural replication

This study examines the reliability and validity of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ) from Christensen and Sullaway (1984). The CPQ is a relatively new questionnaire aimed at assessing marital communication at the dyadic level. It addresses communication patterns involving the behavior of both members of the dyad rather than just one partner. The CPQ permits the evaluation of communication in close relationships on three scales: (a) mutual constructive communication; (b) mutual avoidance of communication; (c) demand/withdrawal. Previous research among American samples has yielded empirical evidence concerning the reliability and validity of this instrument. The current study focuses upon whether the CPQ may also be applied to European subjects. To address this question, a German and a Swiss sample were used. Our results demonstrate that the questionnaire's reliability and validity also prove satisfactory among European samples. In both studies, communication avoidance and withdrawal were negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction.