Gendered conflict, identity disruption, and marital instability: ExpandingGottman's model

We propose a mid-range conceptual model integrating three somewhat disparat e areas of research to provide an understanding of key factors that lead to marital instability. These areas are the influence of gender on marital in stability, the negativity and distancing behaviors in marriage, and identit y theory. We develop and discuss a model that posits that incongruencies be tween spouses in gender beliefs, expectations, and behaviors affect marital instability through negative marital interactions, causing identity disrup tion and resulting in distancing, marital instability, and, in some cases, divorce.