Contents * Introduction * The Organization of the Book * Learning aids Used in Each Chapter * Which Clients Will benefit from the Information in This Book? * Part I. The Resiliency Cornerstone: Creating an Optimistic Philosophy of Life * Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-Behavioral * Rational Emotive Psychotherapy * Restructuring and Reframing Marital Perceptions * Metaphors * The Marriage Tax * Choose an Identity: Be a Duck or a Sponge * The Art of a Successful Marriage * Chapter 1. Anger and the Couple Relationship * The Heads and Tails of Couple anger: Self-Imposed and Retaliatory Anger * Self-Imposed Anger * Retaliatory Anger * The Three Worst Ways to Respond to Spousal Aggravation * Positive Ways to Respond to Spousal Anger * Types of Arguments Between Couples * Anger and Violence * Learning Aids * Chapter 2. Depression and the Couple Relationship * Marital Distress Provokes and Maintains Depression * What Causes Depression? * Common Personality Traits and Depression Marriage * External Stress and Depression in Marital Relationships * Coping Styles and Depression in Marriage * The Protective Nature of Social Support * Characteristics of Marriages with a Depressed Partner * Effectiveness of Marital Therapy in Treating Depression * Enlisting the Aid of a Resourceful Spouse * Learning Aids * Chapter 3. Anxiety and the Couple Relationship * Anxiety: What Are the Symptoms? * The Existential Meaning of Anxiety * Couple Anxiety and the Use of Defense Mechanisms * Provokers of Anxiety in Marriage * Loneliness * Maladaptive Responses to Anxiety: Alcohol Use, Anxiety, and the Marital Relationship * Characteristics of the Anxiety-Reducing Spouse * Learning Aids * Part II. The Social Support Cornerstone: Creating Family and Community Roles That Enhance the Partner Relationship * Theoretical Orientation: Sociocognitive * The Cultural Influence of Work on Marital Relationships * The Cultural Changes in Parenting and Their Effect on Family Life * Cultural and Religious Diversity and Its Effect on In-Law Relationships * Cultural Conflicts and the Wedding Ceremony * Coping Strategies Characteristic of Intercultural In-Law Relationships * The Phenomenon of Cultural Confusion * Chapter 4. Parenting and the Couple Relationship * The Task of Parenting * The Bidirectional Approach: How Children Influence Parents * Influence of Family Dynamics on Marital Relationships * Developmental Tasks for Couples During the Family Life Span * Learning Aids * Chapter 5. Effects of Housework and Employment on Couple Relationships * Housework and the Couple Relationship * Employment and Its Effects on the Couple Relationship * Major Types of Spillover * Methods of Coping: Home-Based Work * Learning Aids * Chapter 6. In-Laws and the Couple Relationship * In-Law Combinations * Factors Affecting In-Law Relationships * Learning Aids * Part III. The Adaptability Cornerstone: From Adaptability to Rigidity--Reducing Conflict with Effective Communication * Theoretical Orientation: Family Systems and Psychodynamics * Psychodynamic Theories * Systems Theories and Couple Communication * Chapter 7. Communication * What Do Couples Communicate About? * Communication Problems * Methods for Improving Marital Communication * Learning Aids * Part IV. The Self-Fulfillment Cornerstone: Creating a Spiritual Connection * Theoretical Orientation: Humanistic and Theological * Self-Fulfillment Through Commitment and Trust * Organized Religion, Spirituality, and Marriage * Eastern Religions, Personal Fulfillment, and Marital Fulfillment * Judeo-Christian Religious Traditions, Personal Fulfillment, and Marital Satisfactions * Personality Theories, Personal Fulfillment, and Marital Satisfactions * Chapter 8. Sexuality and th
