Volume 18, Issue 2
Gridlocks in Couples Conflicts: Couples and therapists perspectives
Abstract
The objective of this study is to define the concept of couples´ gridlock, to identify its different types and possible gridlocks resolutions strategies from the perspective of expert couples therapists and high adjusted marital couples. We have developed an exploratory, comparative, descriptive and analytic design based on the qualitative grounded theory methodology. There are two therapists groups in this study, the first one is constituted by 3 couples therapists and their task was to define and classify gridlocks and to design four couples´ clinical vignettes. These vignettes were transformed into four video sequences (seven minutes each) and then, were presented to the second couple therapists' group (4) and high adjusted marital couples (8). Here, we discuss the gridlock definition and classification and the differences and resemblances in the resolution and prevention of gridlocks observed in each group.
Keywords
couples, psychotherapy, relational gridlock, protective factors