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Marital Satisfaction and Divorce:

The Role of Intervention

29 October 2004

Advanced Marriage and Family Relationships

Instructor: Dr. Stacie Foster

Grade: A+

By: Todd Bauerle

Page 1 of 6

The reason for research on marriage and predictors of divorce is obvious, especially when roughly half of all marriages today end in divorce (as cited in Carrère, Buehlman, Gottman, Coan, and Ruckstuhl, 2000). By identifying specific correlates of divorce, researchers can move closer to predicting which couples’ marriages will end. Accurate predictions pave the way toward being able to prevent divorce through intervention.

Theoretical Research

Behavioral process models. Gottman, Coan, Carrère, and Swanson (1998) identify a basic need in the field of marital therapy to describe what is functional in marital relationships. Towards that end, Gottman et al. (1998) used 130 childless couples, married within the previous six months, to test current process models of what is functional and dysfunctional in marital relationships. Because the goal of utilizing process models is prediction of marital outcomes, newlywed couples were tracked for a period of six years, evaluating both marital satisfaction and status once per year, with a total number of 17 divorces at the conclusion of the study.

Couples were videotaped in a laboratory while they discussed a problem characterized by enduring disagreement and were subject to two recall sessions where the couple had the opportunity to view the recorded interaction. Physiological measures were taken concurrent with the videotaping, while self-report was given as each spouse viewed their respective recordings, providing continuous evaluation of their emotional state. Split screen videotapes of the interactions were also coded for a variety of negative and positive affect and behaviors.

Findings provided support to many of the processes tested. Behavioral patterns predictive of divorce, such as Gottman’s “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, negative start-ups by the wife, the husband’s refusal to accept his wife’s influence, lacking de-escalation of low intensity negativity by husband and high negativity by the wife, and an absence of psychologically soothing the husband, were all supported by this research.

However, Gottman et al.’s (1998) research contradicts some widely accepted theories. The claim that anger is destructive to marriage is not supported by this body of evidence, as neither spouse’s anger was predictive of divorce or stable couples. Further, anger was not predictive of whether stable marriages were happy or unhappy. Likewise, the propensity to reciprocate negative affect in kind was not predictive of stable marital outcomes. Only the wife’s reciprocation of low-intensity negativity was found to foretell divorce, meaning even healthy couples respond to high negativity with the same.

Findings surprisingly indicate the practice of active listening was not significantly correlated to any particular marital outcome. This finding was shocking. Reflective listening and validating spouse’s feelings are common tools given to couples throughout the course of marital therapy.  The discovery that even stable, happy couples do not participate in active listening led Gottman et al. (1998) to believe it is inappropriate for someone to try and validate their spouse’s feelings, especially if faced with an attack during a heated argument.

The conclusions drawn from this research are that stable, happy marriages embody high ratios of positive to negative behavior, de-escalation of low intensity negativity by the husband and of high intensity negativity by the wife, and the ability for the husband to accept influence from his wife. It is suggested that marital therapy refrains from using the active listening technique in favor of the gentler approach of softening the conflict in marriages.

Communication and conflict. Gottman and Krokoff (1989) furthered this study by longitudinal research on the quality of conflict resolution and its long-term effects on marital satisfaction. A sample of 25 couples, over sampled at both the high and low extremes of marital satisfaction to create a balanced standard of satisfaction, were selected from a previous sample. Measurement was taken by coding negative affect during disagreement.

Findings indicate that husbands experience greater distress during negative interactions, however over a period of time experience higher levels of marital satisfaction. Therefore compliance by the wife may lower initial conflict levels. However, this is detrimental in the long term if conflict results in stubbornness, defensiveness, or withdrawal. 

Gottman and Krokoff (1989) found that to make conflict effective in increasing marital satisfaction and being beneficial to the relationship, the couple needs to be aware and open. They must confront areas of difficulty honestly but with compassion. Along with being open and aware a couple must educate themselves about their perceptions of what marriage is.