ABSTRACT
Gender differences have long been the subject of investigation and debate, both inside and outside the scientific community. Research over the last 40 years has clearly demonstrated that aside from the indisputable physiological differences between men and women, there are also definitive emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal ones (e.g., Bergman, 1995; Brown & Gilligan, 1992; Huyck, 1977, 1991), particularly in the realm of heterosexual couple relationships (e.g., Baucom, McFarland, & Christensen, 2010; Gabriel, Beach, & Bodenmann, 2010; Gottman, 1994; Gottman & Silver, 1994; Wexler, 2009). Although the relative contributions of biological and sociological factors to such differences remain somewhat controversial, there seems to be consensus in the psychological literature that men and women do indeed differ, among other things, in their experience and expression of emotion (Levant et al., 2006; Pollack, 2006). This can have a profound impact on couple relationships and on the outcomes of the psychotherapies designed to improve and enhance them (Wexler, 2009).
