ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the hypothesis that physiological arousal is related to the cascade toward marital dissolution. The results of these studies are encouraging, but not entirely consistent. The husband's arousal, particularly his heart rate, was a predictor of variables in the cascade toward dissolution in the DU080 and DU086 studies, but the wife's and not the husband's heart rate was a predictor of variables in the cascade toward dissolution in the DU083 study. It is not clear at this time why these inconsistencies exist. However, a conservative conclusion from the data of three studies would be that physiological arousal in general is associated with marital dissolution variables.
