NEUROTIC PARTNER CONFLICTS AND THEIR PSYC HOTHERAPEUTIC TREATMENT

Couples with neurotic partner problems are characterized by considerab le psychic and/or psycho-somatic complaints. - Men usually judge the r elationships with their spouses more satisfactory than women do. Women suffer more from conflicts in partner-relationships than men do respo nding to such conflicts with psychic and/or psycho-somatic complaints. - Men are more disturbed by a conflict mobilizing therapy than women are. The strongest decrease of men's psychic symptoms can be found in the year after their therapy. Women's defense against psychic problems is less strong than men's. Decrease of women's symptoms can be found during therapy already. - Character neuroses don't make psychic and/or psycho-somatic symptoms in a direct manner. Character neuroses rather give rise to conflicts with other people, and stress by those conflic ts cause symptoms.