Behavioral Marriage Therapy. IV. Take Two Aspirin and Call Us in the Morning

Abstract

The Jacobson-Weiss critique of the Gurman-Knudson and Gurman-Kniskern discussions of behavioral marriage therapy (BMT), while scholarly, derives from such a narrow conceptual set that, with only minor exceptions, Jacobson and Weiss have failed basically to comprehend the essence of our theoretical and logical criticisms of BMT. Moreover, a careful reanalysis of the research cited by our critics as evidence for the efficacy of BMT reveals the strength of the empirical foundation of this approach to have been greatly exaggerated. While few of our concerns about a preominantly behavioral approach to marriage therapy have been ameliorated by Jacobson and Weiss' commentary, some success seems to have been achieved in terms of our original purpose: to stimulate critical thinking about the premises and process of marital therapy.

The Relative Value of Empirical Evidence

“…Gurman et al . 's discussion about the empirical observations of distressed couples (6, p. 170) provides a more concrete example. The observation that “… partners in distressed marriages behave quite differently (utilizing less positive and more aversive control strategies) when interacting with their spouses than when interacting with strangers” is interpreted within a behavioral epistemology to prove that “marital behavior is based (at least nearly entirely) on the immediate present behavior of the other spouse.” Gurman et al .…”

“…Approximately half of the June 1978 issue of Family Process is devoted to an interesting polemic between Gurman et al . (4, 5, 6) and Jacobson and Weiss (10) about conceptual and empirical issues of behavioral marriage therapy. The sequence of the argument, which includes replies and counterreplies covering the various levels of the polemic, points to an escalation of disagreement and a strengthening of the respective positions, as suggested by two symmetrical statements: “[Gurman et al .…”

“…The sequence of the argument, which includes replies and counterreplies covering the various levels of the polemic, points to an escalation of disagreement and a strengthening of the respective positions, as suggested by two symmetrical statements: “[Gurman et al . 's] critiques of the behavioral approaches… no doubt will be influential among non‐behavioral audiences” (10, p. 149); “[Jacobson and Weiss'] comments will undoubtedly be hailed by their behavioral colleagues….” (6, p. 166).…”

Behavioral Couple Therapy: Building a Secure Base for Therapeutic Integration

“…The rare intersection of those fields described 25 years ago by Lebow () was then and still is exemplified by their publication patterns. In its first 50 volumes (1962–2011), Family Process published eight articles on Behavioral Couple Therapy (BCT) or its variants, and fully half of these are accounted for by one well‐known debate that appeared three and a half decades ago (Gurman & Kniskern, ; Gurman & Knudson, ; Gurman, Knudson, & Kniskern, ; Jacobson & Weiss, ). Another influential family therapy journal, the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, published 16 BCT articles in its first 37 volumes (1975–2011).…”

The Limits of Reciprocity in Behavioral Marriage Therapy

“…Arguments regarding the ethical merits of BMT have focused primarily on the problematic issue of “freedom versus control.” Generally, behavioral marital therapists such as Jacobson, Margolin, and Weiss (16, 17) have adopted Skinner's (28) viewpoint — i.e., that, although external control is inevitable, individuals can learn to manipulate environmental conditions in order to be freed from involuntary responses to coercive contingencies 1 . On the other hand, marital therapists such as Gurman, Knudson, and Kniskern (10, 11, 12, 22), supporting a psychodynamic‐systems approach, have contended that human beings are “inner‐directed” and that “freedom” cannot be reduced to the level of self‐manipulation of external contingencies of reinforcement. According to this view, manipulation is manipulation no matter who holds the controls.…”