ABSTRACT
In their book, Communication, Conflict, and Marriage, Raush, Barry, Hertel, and Swain (1974) expresed strong discontent with the theoretical and methodological inadequacies that characterized prevailing research on marriage. Their study, noteworthy for its emphasis on observational rather than self-report assessments of interpersonal behavior, played a significant role in bringing about a new tradition of research on marriage in which the primary focus was on the overt behaviors exhibited by spouses in interaction. As a result of more than a decade of research conducted within this tradition, much is known about the behavioral correlates of marital dissatisfaction (see Christensen, 1987; Noller & Fitzpatrick, 1990; Weiss & Heyman, 1990) and about the impact that clinical modification of these behaviors can have on marital functioning (see Beach & Bauserman, 1990; Hahlweg & Markman, 1988).
