ABSTRACT

Sigmund Freud believed the solution of a conflict between instinctual drives and opposing forces can be in favor of negotiating a compromise between the two, or via sublimation of the drive. Master conflicts exist even in the healthiest of couples. Master conflicts exist even in the healthiest of couples. Some people can better tolerate the anxiety and depression that often comes with change. Problematic relationships can be salvageable, however, if each partner can agree which side of the conflict to choose, or to "integrate" the two comfortably—which most tend to attempt. Master conflict therapy (MCT) contends that master conflicts largely begin in the family of origin as a child is besieged with contradictory messages that are eventually internalized. Perhaps most germane to MCT is the resemblance of Freud's theories as they relate to the Greek "problem of opposites in conflict". Sexual exercises are strategically utilized to enhance conflict therapy in treating various sexual disorders.