MARITAL PARADIGMS: COMPATIBILITY, TREATMENT, AND OUTCOME IN MARITAL THERAPY |
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| Authors: | Michael D. Nugent Larry L. Constantine |
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| Affiliation: | Auburn General Hospital Auburn, WA;Private Practice Acton, MA;Michael D. Nugent, PhD, is Program Administrator, Rader Institute Eating Disorders Unit, Auburn General Hospital, 20 Second Street NE, Auburn, WA 98002.;Larry L. Constantine, LCSW, is in private practice, 22 Bulette Road, Acton, MA 01720. |
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| Abstract: | Marital paradigms comprise the guiding images that serve as reference models for a couple's relationship. Such individualized images can be understood as variations on a small set of basic themes. An understanding of clients' marital paradigms can help foeus treatment on the most appropriategoals usingapproaches and techniques that are most effective for a particular couple. An unselected group of 103 couples seen in systems-oriented marital therapy were reviewed, to identify outcome and treatment issues as a function of marital paradigm. Based on outcome criteria that took marital paradigm into account, 92% of 38 cases where both partners identified with the same basic paradigm were judged to be treatment successes, while only 60% of the cases where the partners identified with different paradigms could be considered successful outcomes. Clinical approaches based on experience with marital therapy conducted within a paradigmatic framework are presented. |
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