Emotion-focused couples therapy: The dynamics of emotion, love, and power.

Abstract

"If couples therapy is to produce real transformation, authors Leslie S. Greenberg and Rhonda N. Goldman argue, the process must be hot: Emotion must be activated. Emotion fuels conflicts; therefore, therapists need to help couples get at the primary emotions that power negative interactional cycles and transform these emotions into more adaptive, functional ones. In Emotion-focused couples therapy: The dynamics of emotion, love, and power, Greenberg and Goldman explore the foundations of emotion-focused couples therapy (EFT-C) and expand its framework to focus more intently on the development of the self and relationships. The authors show how EFT-C can promote soothing and help clients deal with unmet needs from adulthood and childhood. They discuss the affect regulation involved in three major motivational systems central to couples therapy--attachment, identity, and attraction--and clarify the role of emotions and motivations in the dominance dimension of couples interactions. Written with practitioners and graduate students in mind, the chapters present a rich variety of case material to demonstrate how working with emotions can facilitate change in couples and, by extension, in all situations in which people may be in emotional conflict with others. Greenberg and Goldman provide the tools needed to identify specific emotions and show the reader how to work with them to resolve conflict and promote bonding in couples therapy"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved)