Saving Sinking Ships: Implications from a Theory of Marital Dissolution

Critics of marriage, family and divorce counseling have repeatedly noted that technique is infrequently, if ever, underpinned by theory. A recently developed theory of marital dissolution that utilizes a systems perspective is briefly presented. The theory was derived from almost 1,300 propositions in the extant literature, and is readily understandable to layman, practitioner, and academician. Implications contained within the theory for those concerned with saving floundering marital relationships are indicated.