Assessing marriage

A book usually has a purpose. This one's purpose is to give the reader an overview of research developments in marital behavioral assessment. The chapters of this volume represent a cross section of observational research. issues in the study of marriage. The forum is interdisciplinary and includes the work of psychologists, sociologists, home economists, and anthropologists. Indeed, one of its unique features is that it brings together the work of re searchers from quite different traditions who previously may not have shared the same platform.

It is perhaps noteworthy that the National Council of Family Relations devotes a book in its monograph series to this topic. It indicates that in the development of family-related literature, a point has been reached at which it is thought necessary to take a closer look at husband-wife interaction as it unfolds in real life behavior. This concern grows out of the long-term interest of re searchers and therapists in assessing marriage and in finding ever more secure data on which to base theory and practice.