Conflict in marriage: Implications for working with couples

The investigation of marital conflict has reached a crossroads. Over 25 yea rs of research on marital conflict behavior yields a relatively clear pictu re of its topography, but its relevance for changing the marital relationsh ip remains controversial. We can continue to amass observations in a relati vely atheoretical manner and hope that patterns capable of guiding clinical activity will emerge, or we can begin creating a unified theoretical frame work to indicate new directions for clinical activity and empirical investi gation. Before exploring the latter option, this chapter reviews briefly th e impact of marital conflict on mental, physical, and family health and wha t is known about the nature of conflict in marriage. After highlighting som e recent theoretically grounded advances, we illustrate how conceptualizing marital conflict behavior as goal directed provides an integrative theoret ical framework for treatment, prevention, and marital conflict research.