ABSTRACT
Behaviora l marital therapy represents an amalgamation of many forces that have i n f l u - enced the development of psychotherapy and behavior change procedures over the past 15 years. Its b i r t h i n the late 1960s represented a leap of faith, ref lect ing u n b o u n d e d opt imism that one c o u l d apply reinforcement pr inciples to almost any c l in ica l p r o b l e m . In 1969, w h e n R i c h a r d Stuart presented the first publ i shed data a p p l y i n g behavior therapy to marital problems (cf. also L i b e r m a n , 1970), behavior therapy had s u r v i v e d its first f u l l decade w i t h a devoted b a n d of enthusiastic adherents. A clearly detectable m o v e m e n t was underway to extend the applications to n e w domains of human misery and suffering.
