Angry Marriage: Overcoming the Rage, Reclaiming the Love

Couples trapped in ``angry'' marriages express their discord in a variety of ways, shows Maslin ( Loving Men for All the Right Reasons ). The author, a psychologist, here groups angry couples into six types: expressors, who are given to perpetual quarreling; provokers, pairs in which one spouse causes fights and the other plays ``the innocent''; suppressors, who bury upset beneath a facade of calm; enactors, who displace anger into such pursuits as overeating, workaholism or adultery; symbolizers, whose anger manifests symbolically as illness; and displacers, who direct their wrath at an outside target (a horrible boss, for example). For each category, Maslin includes a case history and psychological analysis of how the representative couple's marriage became ``toxic.'' She contends that not all angry marriages are hopeless. By identifying the suppressed needs underpinning their behavior, couples can use their insights to create an ``atmosphere for change'' and free themselves from unhealthy anger. This simple and practical guide should prove useful to troubled couples and marriage counselors alike. Author tour. (Mar.)