ABSTRACT
We had two primary goals in this research. The first was to explore differences in emotional expression in intimate relationships in middle-aged and older marriages. The second was to test the generalizability to middle-aged and older couples of findings from earlier research investigating the influence of gender and marital satisfaction on emotional interaction in young married couples. The study was based on the analysis of videotaped interactions of happy and unhappy couples discussing conflicts in their relationships (see also Levenson, Carstensen, & Gottman, 1993). By pursuing our research questions in both happy and unhappy marriages, we were able to examine the pervasiveness of age and gender differences across these very different types of couples. In the following sections, we elaborate our rationale and hypotheses for the research.
