CO-CREATING SHARED REALITIES WITH COUPLES

We are presenting a unique approach to understanding couples and relat ionships based on social constructionist principles. It is our belief that individuals possess constructions of reality with regard to relat ionships and must co-create a reality in which both partners participa te. The implication of this theoretical principle is that differences between partners are not as important as the negotiation of such diffe rences. One thousand premarital couples were examined to determine the effect of levels of flexibility and perceived differences on the qual ity of their relationships. Data analysis revealed that levels of flex ibility were a significant factor in couples' abilities to co-create a successful shared reality.