Defining and Assessing Four Dimensions of Couple Relationships
Complete the following for your assignment:
- Identify four dimensions or aspects of couple relationships you believe are crucial to their satisfaction, stability, and/or success.
- Briefly define each aspect or dimension, grounding your discussion of these four dimensions of successful, happy couples in the literature.
- Propose how you would go about assessing these dimensions, based on the readings and resources available in the course.
- Provide a brief rationale for your chosen means of assessing these four aspects or dimensions.
Assignment Requirements
- Written communication: Written communication must be free of errors such that the overall message is clear.
- APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style.
- Number of resources: Minimum of 8 peer-reviewed references should be cited to support your points and positions (distinguished submissions will likely exceed that minimum).
- Length of paper: Three to four double-spaced, typed pages, excluding title and reference pages.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Resources
- Blanchard, V. L., Hawkins, A. J., Baldwin, S. A., & Fawcett, E. B. (2009). Investigating the
effects of marriage and relationship education on couples’ communication skills: A metaanalytic study. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(2), 203-214.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015211 - Cho, S. B., Cui, M., & Claridge, A. M. (2018). Cohabiting parents’ marriage plans and marriage
realization: Gender differences, couple agreement, and longitudinal effects. Journal of
Social and Personal Relationships, 35(2), 137-158.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516678485 - Conradi, H. J., Noordhof, A., & Kamphuis, J. H. (2021). Satisfying and stable couple
relationships: Attachment similarity across partners can partially buffer the negative
effects of attachment insecurity. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 47(3), 682-697.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12477 - Lavner, J. A., Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (2016). Does couples’ communication predict
marital satisfaction, or does marital satisfaction predict communication? Journal of
Marriage and Family, 78(3), 680-694. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12301 - Meneses, C. W., & Greenberg, L. S. (2011). The Construction of a Model of the Process of
Couples’ Forgiveness in Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples. Journal of Marital and
Family Therapy, 37(4), 491-502. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00234.x - Prager, K. J., Shirvani, F., Poucher, J., Cavallin, G., Truong, M., & Garcia, J. J. (2015). Recovery
from conflict and revival of intimacy in cohabiting couples. Personal relationships,
22(2), 308-334. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12082 - Sperry, L. (2019). Couple and Family Assessment (3rd Ed.). Taylor Francis.
https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9781351051606 - Tan, K., See, Y. H. M., & Agnew, C. R. (2015). Partner’s understanding of affective-cognitive
meta-bases predicts relationship quality. Personal Relationships, 22(3), 524-535.
https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12093 - Zimmerman, F. J. (2006). Agreeing on more than chicken soup: Intra-household decision-making
and treatment for child psychopathology. Review of Economics of the Household, 4(3),
229-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11150-006-0007-2
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Analyze the historical and theoretical basis for assessment methods, strategies, and techniques in marriage and family therapy.
- Identify four dimensions or aspects of successful, stable couple relationships.
- Define dimensions or aspects of successful, stable couple relationships.
- Competency 2: Compare assessments using basic measurement constructs.
- Provide a rationale for the chosen means of assessing each dimension of couple relationships.
- Competency 4: Discriminate between different categories of assessment instruments and their practical application.
- Propose means of assessing the dimensions or aspects of couple relationships.
- Competency 6: Communicate effectively through the appropriate application of grammar, punctuation, spelling, writing mechanics, and a professional tone, while adhering to current APA style and formatting.
- Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional and consistent with expectations in the marriage and family therapy profession.