cover image Couples: Exploring and Understanding the Cycles of Intimate Relationships

Couples: Exploring and Understanding the Cycles of Intimate Relationships

Barry Dym. HarperCollins Publishers, $20 (267pp) ISBN 978-0-06-016713-4

All couples traverse three distinct stages during the course of a relationship, according to Dym (co-founder of the Family Institute in Cambridge, Mass.) and Glen (co-founder of Family Systems Medicine, also in Cambridge). During the first stage, called Expansion and Promise--what we usually think of as ``falling in love''--couples establish the foundation of their relationship and generate ``interactional sequences''--predictable patterns of communication. Eventually most couples must acknowledge their individual limitations; conflicts arise as they enter ``contradiction and betrayal.'' If the couple survives this time of mutual disillusionment, they move on to ``resolution,'' where they work through differences and establish a lasting love. Unusual in its scope and depth, this book, though somewhat reductive, examines the impact of cultural expectations and the influence of outside parties (``context'') on intimate relationships. Case histories and diverse couples including several gay and lesbian partnerships are presented. (Feb.)