Substituting the forest for the trees: social networks and the prediction of romantic relationship state and fate.

This research focused on perceptions held by heterosexual couples' friendship network concerning the couple's relationship. In a three-wave longitudinal study, we examined (a) whether these perceptions were similar to the couple's views of the relationship, (b) whether they predicted current relationship state and future fate, and (c) how they compared with the couple's perceptions in predicting fate. Consistent with within-dyad idealization, results from a North American sample indicated that network perceptions of relationship state were significantly more negative than those held by a couple. Although both the couples' and the total networks' perceptions predicted fate, friends of the female couple member were particularly successful at predicting relationship dissolution. An examination of possible mechanisms whereby friends may come to possess particularly predictive perceptions supported the role of couple-disclosure in this process.     

An Examination of the Perceived Fairness of Workplace Romance Policies

Fairness perceptions regarding several workplace romance policies (i.e., no action, counsel, verbal reprimand, written warning, transfer, terminate) applied to different types of couples (e.g., lateral vs. hierarchical) in a variety of situations (e.g., couple's performance improves vs. declines) were examined. We found the counsel policy was perceived more fair than any other policy. Stricter workplace romance policies (verbal reprimand, written warning, transfer) were perceived fair when the couple's performance declined or the romance was highly visible. Taking no action was perceived more fair than any other policy when the couple's performance improved. These results and others are discussed.     

The Problem of Fusion in the Lesbian Relationship

This paper is an attempt to outline a set of hypotheses about the kinds of issues that intensify the problem of fusion in committed lesbian partnerships. We consider also why the likelihood is so great of fusion occurring as a response to stresses both internal and external to the relationship. We have chosen to address the problem from a systems perspective because we feel that the most productive clinical interventions for lesbian couples depend upon an awareness of the problems inherent in the couple's attempt to define the rules of their relationship within the context of a larger system in which no rules relating to them exist. We shall outline our basic conceptual approach to the problem, offer case examples of a "fused" lesbian couple, and discuss implications for treatment.     

Aggression and love in the relationship of the couple

In this paper I examine the interplay of love and aggression in a couple's emotional relationship. I explore the activation of dominant repressed or dissociated object relations with the parental figures, and the unconscious collusion of both partners to enact these past relationships in the present. I then examine the couple's relationship as determined by differences in male and female development, as well as the counterpart of these differences--unconscious moves toward "twinship" and complementarity. Unresolved oedipal conflicts are explored as a major cause of invasion of the couple's sexual boundaries, and a vehicle for the expression of dissociated aggression from many sources. Perversity--the "recruitment of love at the service of aggression"--as a threat to the basic fabric of a couple's love life is one alternative to the normal channels for elaboration of aggression in their relationship. Protective functions of the couple's interaction with their social network are examined in the context of their elaborating and integrating aggression with love.     

A New Perspective on Preferential Treatment: The Role of Ambiguity and Self-Efficacy

Knowledge of being selected preferentially has been shown to have negative effects. This study examined how changing the operationalization of preferential treatment to allow for perceptions of ambiguity in the nature of the selection decision may lead to changes in research conclusions. Eighty-four female undergraduates were led to believe they were selected to perform a mathematical task based on their merit, direct preferential treatment, or a more ambiguous or indirect preferential treatment. Results indicated that participants' self-efficacy levels affected their interpretations of the manipulation and performance. Implications for the study of preferential treatment are discussed.     

Management Strategies of Sexual Dysfunctions

The purpose of this essay is to discuss on the possible impact on a couple's sexual relationships when the male partner's erectile problems contribute to a sexual dysfunction on the part of the female. The complex reciprocal nature of sexual interactions emphasizes the importance of the relationship for sexual function and dysfunction. The treatment of sexual dysfunction then takes into account the contribution of factors from the couple and the system. An integrated behavioural-systems approach is applied to address both sexual and non-sexual aspects of the interaction in the marital unit. This approach outlines a range of methods that may be used during the treatment of sexual dysfunctions in order to bring about relevant changes in sexual functioning and general relationships.     

Commitment,intimacy, and women's perceptions of premarital sex and contraceptive readiness

A person-perception study was conducted to examine the influence of intimacy and commitment on the acceptability of premarital sex and contraceptive preparedness. Ninety-six women rated a female target's personality and behavior after reading a diary entry describing a couple's initial sexual encounter. The nature of the couple's relationship and who provided the condom were manipulated between participants. Women inferred a committed relationship when intimacy was present. Women rated the target, and her behavior, as more acceptable when she had sex in a relationship with commitment. When she provided a condom, the target was perceived as less nice in the noncommitted than in the committed relationship. When her partner provided the condom, however, commitment level did not influence personality ratings.     

Examining changes in procedural justice and their influence on problem‐solving court outcomes

The number of problem‐solving courts has grown substantially since the mid‐1990s. Research consistently indicates that participation in these courts lowers recidivism, which is often attributed to defendants’ increased perceptions of procedural justice in these programs. Yet, prior studies are limited in their focus, often examining interactions with the judge in a single court or examining defendant perceptions and outcomes at a single time point. In the present study, we investigate defendant perceptions of procedural justice with judges and case managers across multiple problem‐solving courts over time. Findings indicate that procedural justice varies across court actors and over time. Procedural justice is lower among judges than among case managers; however, changes in perceptions of procedural justice with the judge are associated with improved court outcomes. We suggest that defendant perceptions are variable and complex but important in explaining variations in outcomes.     

Existential psychotherapy with fast-track,suburban couples

In this article, the authors describe the existential situation of the fast-track suburban couple and a treatment approach based upon the philosophical concepts of Gabriel Marcel and Viktor Frankl. In this treatment approach, the therapist uses availability, primary reflection and secondary reflection treatment experiences to host the client couple's discovery and actualization of the meaning potential in their intimate life.     

Gender and role-based perceptions of domestic abuse: does sexual orientation matter?

Although it is estimated that domestic abuse is as common in gay male and lesbian intimate relationships as in heterosexual relationships, the legal system often fails to recognize or respond to same-gender cases. Empirical research examining the impact of sexual orientation on perceptions of abuse is virtually nonexistent. Undergraduates (N = 252) read a summary of a domestic abuse incident in which victims and perpetrators varied by gender and, by implication, sexual orientation. Victim and respondent gender, rather than the couple's sexual orientation, primarily affected responses to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse perpetrated against women was perceived to be more serious and in need of intervention than abuse against men. Women were more likely than men to believe the victim and to recommend criminal justice system interventions. Because they are inconsistent with gender role stereotypes, domestic abuse cases involving male victims or female perpetrators may not receive equitable treatment within the criminal justice system.     

Initiating a Couples Group

Couples-group therapy is thought of as a helpful treatment for most couples, and as a primary treatment for married couples who have longstanding problems of a rigid and chronic nature. It is most useful for couples for whom blaming, power plays, and suppression of anger are prominent modes of interaction. Couples-group therapy is helpful to these couples because the group is a microcosm of society, provides a wide variety of coping styles, and offers observable alternatives to dysfunctional behaviors. A group dynamic also decreases the couple's sense of isolation. Issues relevant to starting a couples group--indications, contraindications, policies and balancing a group--are discussed. Clinical vignettes from ongoing open-ended couples groups are presented to illustrate the points made.     

The effect of a contraceptive theme on response to erotica

Undergraduate students (60 males, 60 females) viewed a sexually explicit movie in which a couple engaged in intercourse. Different themes were introduced by prefacing the film with information varying the filmed couple's apparent marital status (single, married) and contraceptive practices (no information, no contraception, contraception via the pill). After viewing the movie, subjects filled out a questionnaire assessing their own affective reactions plus their perceptions and evaluations of the couple. Male subjects reported the greatest positive affect when the film couple was described as single and using contraception, but they also perceived the stimulus couple as caring the least for one another when they were using contraceptives. In contrast, females perceived contraceptive use as positive evidence of mutual caring. These sex differences in reacting to contraceptive use were discussed in terms of the relatively greater tendency of males to separate love and sex than is true for females.Work on this experiment was supported by a research grant (SOC 74-15254) from the National Science Foundation. The authors wish to thank Elizabeth Rice Allgeier, William A. Fisher, and Richard Knox for their comments and suggestions.     

Perceptions of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Antidepressant Medication for Depression After Brief Psychoeducation: Examining Shifts in Attitudes

The majority of people with depression in the United States either never seek treatment or gravitate exclusively to antidepressant medication (ADM), despite the existence of other effective treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Reluctance to use psychotherapy is partly due to lack of appropriate mental health literacy and perceptions of low treatment acceptability (appropriateness for a given problem) and credibility (treatment logicalness, and whether the patient expects improvement). In the current investigation, we examined whether providing psychoeducation about CBT for depression would change participant perceptions of the treatment’s acceptability and credibility. We recruited 554 (female n = 314; 57%) participants across two online studies, and assessed their baseline perceptions of CBT and ADM using modified Treatment Acceptability (TAAS) and Treatment Credibility and Expectancy (CEQ) scales. Participants were subsequently presented with evidence-based, expert-vetted psychoeducational materials describing CBT and ADM, and were asked to recomplete the TAAS and CEQ. In Study 1, participants endorsed significantly higher CBT-CEQ (credibility/expectancy) scores postpsychoeducation. In Study 2, participants endorsed significantly lower CBT-TAAS (acceptability), and among those with no exposure to depression treatments, endorsed significantly higher CBT-CEQ scores postpsychoeducation. In both studies, there were no perceptual changes of ADM after the psychoeducation. Finally, in Study 2, endorsement of a biological model of depression and depressive symptoms were negatively predictive of CBT’s acceptability and credibility and expectancy postpsychoeducation. Perceptions of credibility and expectancy of CBT for depression appear malleable even after exposure to brief psychoeducation, whereas shifting perceptions of CBT’s acceptability may require more extensive intervention.     

Examining links between coaching behaviors and collegiate athletes’ burnout levels using a longitudinal approach

Research on burnout in athletes reveals a range of potential negative effects including decreased performance, compromised physical and psychological well-being, and possible sport withdrawal. The current study was designed to: (a) examine if and how collegiate athletes’ levels of burnout change from the beginning to the end of a competitive season; and (b) determine if there is a predictive link between athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ interpersonal styles and feedback behavior and changes in athletes’ level of burnout. Self-report measures were completed by 126 collegiate female athletes at two time-points. A repeated measures MANOVA revealed a significant time main effect showing increases over the season in two of the three burnout dimensions (reduced accomplishment and sport devaluation). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived coaching behaviors did explain a significant amount of the variability between athletes in their end of season burnout scores above and beyond that explained by their early season levels and their perceptions of their performance success. These results add to the growing body of literature on the utility of self-determination theory as a framework for examining psychosocial health and well-being in collegiate athletes. In addition, the longitudinal nature of this study provides information regarding potential changes in the dimensions of burnout as a function of time in the season and in response to perceptions of coaches’ behaviors.     

Relational Couple Therapy with Post-Traumatic Survivors: Links Between Post-Traumatic Self and Contemporary Intimate Relationships

The present article describes a clinical case study of relational couple therapy with post-traumatic spouses. Survivors, who were infants and toddlers during the Holocaust, disclose tremendous difficulties in their intimate relationships. The early loss of parental figures, and cumulative traumatic experiences throughout survivors' lives in the post war era hampered their capacity for intimate partnership despite its ultimate necessity. Relational couple therapy creates an unfamiliar experiential space with the couple's bond. This experiential space enables each partner to change destructive emotional patterns within one's inner psychic reality as well as the couple's emotional system. In addition, the therapeutic triangle creates partial transformational boundaries between past traumas and the couple traumatic bonds.     

Athletes' perceptions of multilevel changes related to competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

ObjectivesTaking into account the need for applied research on the most effective ways to prepare Olympians psychologically, the first purpose of this study was to gain more insight into the changes perceived by four athletes in view of their participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The second purpose of this study was to illustrate how using a holistic and dynamic approach to the identification of the perceptions of these athletes' Olympic experiences can provide information relevant for the provision of individual ASP support to these athletes.DesignUsing a prospective design athletes' perceptions of changes were gathered prior, during as well as after the Olympic Games.MethodsA combination of interview (pre and post Olympic Games) and self-reporting (during Olympic Games) was used to describe athletes' perceptions of changes occurring at athletic, psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational level.ResultsResults confirmed in first instance athletes' perceptions of the multifaceted nature of their Olympic experience. In second instance, the use of a dynamic and holistic perspective allowed to identify that participants perceived (a) during the phase prior to the Olympic Games 14 changes at all four levels, (b) during the Olympic Games eight changes at three levels, and (c) during the phase after returning from the Olympic Games 11 changes having occurred at four levels.ConclusionsThis study showed the usefulness of using a dynamic and holistic perspective not only in order to identify athletes' perceptions of their Olympic experiences, but also to enhance ASP practitioners' knowledge on the needs for a holistic and dynamic ASP-support provision. In this way, the effectiveness and efficiency of ASP practitioners working with athletes preparing for, or competing at the Olympic Games could be enhanced.     

Applying Psychoanalysis to Couple Therapy: The Treatment of a Couple with Sexualized Persecutory Internal Objects Resulting from Trauma

The application of psychoanalytic theory and technique to the treatment of couples has been relatively overlooked despite the long history of concern by psychoanalysts with the role of marriage in individual development and suffering. This paper uses an example of marital and sex therapy to illustrate the application of psychoanalytic object relations theory to couple therapy, and describes the way that in-depth treatment of the couple's persecutory object relations that follow severe trauma can be effectively conducted. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of issues of shame and guilt in psychoanalytic theory and their relevance to this couple.     

The Couple's Mutual Identity and Reflexivity: A Systemic-Constructivist Approach to the Integration of Persons and Systems

This paper presents a systemic-constructivist approach to working therapeutically with couples. Therapeutic change is optimal when both the intrapersonal processes of each individual and their unique interpersonal system are synthesized. This approach targets partners' ways of knowing and experiencing themselves in the context of their relationship. The therapist endeavors to engage the aspect of personal identity which each partner derives through his or her participation in the relationship. Emphasis is placed upon (1) The mutual identity that emerges as a result of the couple's intersubjective, dialectical interplay; (2) each partner's ability to engage as participant–observers within their own relationship; and (3) the ability for the couple to utilize their conjoint reflexive faculty in the service of their own change. Change which arises from this combination of personal motivation and collective agency exhibits a self-generated life of its own predicated upon the couple's own expertise rather than that of an external agent.     

Giving voice to the dual-career couple

Changes in the nature of careers, and also of families, mean new challenges for the increasing number of dual-career couples in society. Each couple faces multiple concerns, including two individual careers, a shared relationship and the interdependence among all of these elements. This paper contributes to the counselling literature by reporting two case studies in which a new methodological approach was adopted, intended to make a couple's concerns explicit and provide a platform for further action. Using the holistic model of the intelligent career, a facilitated process was used to elicit first subjective, then inter-subjective career data, enabling the partners to make sense of their individual careers within a context of their shared relationship. The preliminary results suggest the methodology may provide a novel and useful way to give 'voice' to—and in turn facilitate action by—the dual-career couple.     

Common factors in the enhancement of dyadic coping

Stress and coping are important constructs in understanding the dynamics of close relationships. Couple therapy and marital distress prevention approaches have become increasingly focused on these variables to gain knowledge of how stress and coping may impact the quality and stability of close relationships. In this paper, we outline couple's coping enhancement training (CCET) and the coping-oriented couple's therapy (COCT); both, couple interventions derived from stress and coping research. We address specific features of each approach and report data on their efficacy and effectiveness. We also examine both the common and specific factors that may play a role in the effectiveness of these approaches.