What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes [Paperback]

John Mordechai Gottman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0805814027 | ISBN-13: 978-0805814026 | Edition: 1

This book details years of research involving questionnaires and observations of married couples in pursuit of the determinants of both marital happiness and divorce. It will be of interest to family and clinical psychologists and methodologists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gottman has produced a delightfully well researched, sensitive study of marital processes related to divorce....Anyone who is interested in marital processes and their dynamics will like this work.
—CHOICE

Bringing together empirical data and insightful theory development from a 20-year research program, this volume will quickly become an essential classic for all professionals interested in marriage, and required reading for graduate students....the author has constructed a rich, in-depth volume that thoroughly explains his creative work....Every chapter is ripe with insight, solidly based empirical data, sound theory development, and suggestions for application....this volume is a major contribution to the understanding of marriage and marital dissolution processes.
—Journal of Marriage and the Family

There is a wealth of valuable detail in this book....Gottman has provided an abundance of ideas that may stimulate thought by both researchers and therapists....Marital therapists, guided by the findings, can be more alert to the trajectories their client couples are following and possibly teach some of their clients more effective communication skills that may deflect them from the path of dissolution...
—The American Journal of Family Therapy

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Psychology Press; 1 edition (November 3, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805814027
• ISBN-13: 978-0805814026
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Gottman, Ph.D., is world-renowned for his work on relationship stability and divorce prediction, involving the study of emotions, physiology, and communication. He was recently voted one of the Top 10 Most Influential Therapists of the past quarter-century by the PsychoTherapy Networker publication. His 35 years of breakthrough research on marriage, relationships and parenting has earned him numerous major awards.

He is the author of 190 published academic articles and author or co-author of 40 books. Dr. Gottman is the co-founder of The Gottman Institute where he currently teaches weekend workshops for couples and training workshops for clinicians. He is the Executive Director of the Relationship Research Institute, where programs have been developed for parents transitioning to parenthood and are beginning a new research project on treatment for Domestic Violence. Dr. Gottman is also in private practice in Seattle and sees couples for weekly and intensive marathon therapy sessions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heavy read which demands thorough attention, but worth it!, April 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes (Hardcover)

Gottman's 1994 book comes on the heels of groundbreaking work in behavioral observation methodologies. Trained as a mathematician, Gottman spares us no quantified details. However, quantification and reliable measurement are the indispensible components of good scientific research of which Gottman's work is a nearly overwhelmingly thorough example. Gottman takes us back stage to the development and the testing of hypotheses about what makes marriages tick and what makes them wind down in very convincing fashion. I lecture from this text in my university course and student attention is usually very high and they ask many questions. The fact that Gottman can predict marital dissolution, in some instances, at better than 90%, is itself a testament to his rigourous and insightful work. Isn't that one of the main points of science: to predict?

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not for the layperson, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes (Paperback)

Gottman presents a thorough look at the methodology used in his studies of marital interation and divorce prediction. I believe this text is a must for the bookshelves of professional researchers. Laypersons might enjoy his trade books written with Nan Silver.