Prevention and Enrichment Programs for Couples

History and Development

Across cultures and time, wide variations exist in the degree to which marriage and close relationships are an arena open to public scrutiny and expert advice. In the United States, until recently, there was strong resistance to research and education on the seemingly intangible, natural if not spiritual, and exceptionally private processes of love, mate selection, and matrimonial functioning. However, events in the second half of the 20th century heralded an unprecedented call for societal attention to strengthening couple relationships. Social scientists began in earnest to study not just individuals, but relationships, and thus relationship science was born. Research revealed that close, intimate relationships were not simply nice, but essential for human thriving and constituted the core context for human development. Science was able and ready to explore the nature and functioning of these critical relationships with the hope of improving the quality of human lives.

During this era, researchers were documenting the skyrocketing divorce rate and the increasingly unhealthy state of Americans' relationships: Extramarital affairs occurred in as many as one third of marriages, more than 50 percent of marital relationships dissolved, and in at least one half of intact marriages partners experienced significant relational strain and unhappiness. A host of negative consequences for both parents and children were identified—from reductions in work productivity, to conflict and stress, and ultimately compromises in physical and emotional functioning. In contrast, couple relationships characterized by effective communication, closeness, and flexibility were found to be associated with a positive quality of life.

Against this backdrop, at least three separate developments entwined to support the current popularity and proliferation of CRE programs: research on marital and family interaction processes, grassroots marriage enrichment, encounter and related “growth” movements, and federal and state support for family life education.

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