The Life Cycle of a Typical Couple

In this presentation, I will be discussing how to lead an open-ended support group for couples who are experiencing difficulties in their relationship after the arrival of their first child. Before delving into the complexity of working with couples in group psychotherapy settings, it is important to understand the unique and dynamic challenges that are confronted by couples during their journeyùthe life cycle of couples. Their movement from the initial courtship period to old age often involves overcoming difficulties with various transitions so that they can progress successfully from one stage to the next. Although the different stages of the life cycle of a couple may vary according to socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, the following discussion provides an overall framework for highlighting the distinctive characteristics of each stage and the transitions. For the purposes of this discussion, a middle class family in the contemporary Western society will be used to represent the typical couple (Haley, 1973; Peterson, 1995a).

During the first phase of the cycle, the courtship period, young adults who have established their individual sense of identity begin forge relationships with peers outside of their family. At some point, they will form an intimate relationship with potential life-time partners. Based on the above description, it is evident that young adults' ability to form successful intimate relations

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nished reading the narratives to one another. Then I would like you to compare your narratives. Note their similarities and differences and classify them under each of the narrative types, if possible. After these general observations, I would like each of you to take turns to look at the narrative in greater detail and highlight the passages that stand out to you such as the discrepancy between your own beliefs about your partner's feelings and what his or her narrative reveals. For example, you may have thought that he has lost interest in you and the baby. In reality, he may have been so overwhelmed by the experience that he has not been able to articulate his emotions. Take this opportunity to focus your attention on listening to your partner's comments and observations without feeling the need to defend or explain yourself. Once you have finished exchanging your thoughts with one another, I would like each couple to share their feelings about the experience with the rest of the group. Specifically, I would like you to address the following questions. Are you better able to understand your partner's behavior in view of what you have read in his or her narrative? Can you see how the differences or even the similar
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Grauf-Grounds Chamow, Newman Newman, Lisa John's, Beth Rob, Lisa John, Typical Couple, Jacobson Margolin, Jim Lisa, Middle Marriage, According Viorst, vision statement, life cycle, haley 1973, peterson 1995a, lisa john, york ny, arrival child, 1995a haley 1973, peterson 1995a haley, 1995a haley, newman newman 1998, care baby, narrative types, carter mcgoldrick 1999, christensen heavey 1999,
Approximate Word count = 5853
Approximate Pages = 23 (250 words per page)

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