ABSTRACT
This brief chapter focuses on two collusive defensive systems that have received
little attention in the clinical literature on marital/family therapy. These couple
defenses are both subtle and complex and are usually not identifi ed as problem-
atic by the spouses, since they have become a routine part of the couple’s modus
operandi. These defensive pacts are described below in some detail. Suggestions
for identifying these defensive systems and for addressing them therapeutically are
offered in Chapter 6.
