Learning Lab Consulting

4 Research-Based Tools for Building a Healthy Marriage: Functional Conflict, Tool 1

As part three in the marriage series, I am sharing four research-based strategies for building a healthy marriage: functional conflict, scanning for positive interaction opportunities, affirming one another’s successes, and building a trusting environment.

For each of these four, I will summarize the research and suggestions from the experts, with a particular focus on the work of Dr. John Gottman, an influential researcher in the field of marriage.

I have also created resources for couples to inventory their current use of these strategies and look for opportunities to grow together.  Each strategy will have a short quiz couples can take and score.  These quizzes are exploratory tools; they are not definitive measures of a couple’s health.  I hope that they will be useful in creating discussion, exploration and possibly growth; that is the only goal.

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