By John M. Gottman, Ph.D., and Julie Schwartz Gottman, Ph.D.

Do you recognize yourself, or your spouse, in any of these statements? If so, the Gottmans say you shouldn't be surprised. Their decades of research have shown that most couples face these and other serious problems, but what the Gottmans have proven is that such difficulties don’t have to lead to a broken relationship, or even divorce.

 

John Gottman teamed up with his clinical psychologist wife, Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, to develop intervention methods for turning a failing marriage into a successful one.

 

What emerged from the Gottmans’ collaboration and research is a body of advice that’s based on two surprisingly simple truths: Happily married couples behave like good friends, and they handle their conflicts in gentle, positive ways.

 

The authors offer an intimate look at 10 couples who have learned to work through potentially destructive problems - extramarital affairs, workaholism, parenthood adjustments, serious illnesses, lack of intimacy - and examine what they’ve done to improve communication and get their marriages back on track.

 

Readers are taken step-by-step through the couples’ conversations, before and after they are counseled. The authors also provide an analysis of the couples’ interactions, identifying their core problems and offering suggestions for resolving them.

 

By “listening” to the discussions in this way, you will learn to detect the most common stumbling blocks of a relationship and, most important, how to avoid them. You'll strengthen your relationship and make it the most fulfilling it can be.

 

288 pages. Softcover. 2008.

 

Check out this related book by John Gottman: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.

 

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