Fighting for Your Marriage: Positive Steps for Preventing Divorce and Preserving a Lasting Love (New & Revised)
By:
Howard J. Markman Scott M. Stanley Susan L. Blumberg
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Lowest New Price: $3.41
List Price: $16.95
Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5
Description:
This new and revised edition of Fighting for Your Marriage is based on the widely acclaimed PREP® (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program) approach. Groundbreaking studies have found that couples can use the strategies of this approach to handle conflict more constructively, protect their happiness, and reduce the odds of breaking up.
Based on twenty years of university research, this popular book will show you how to:- Talk more and fight less
- Deepen and protect your friendship
- Have a more intimate, sensual relationship
- Keep the fun alive
- Clarify and act on your priorities
- Develop a vision for your future together
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
LOVE this book! - I am really impressed with this book. My husband and I have read many marriage-help books in preventative maintenance for our marriage and this is by far the best book we've read so far. It really helps to understand the things that were written in it to help your marriage thrive, preventing major disasters by applying what you read. It is very well written, easy to read and even humorous to keep interest and a good attitude while reading it. I recommend having an open mind and to really soak up each page because they are filled with excellent points, educationally stimulating research, and convicting passages that really prompt change in your development as a spouse. There were some things that were very true to my character and allowed me the opportunity to see myself from someone else's perspective, encouraging me to practice better habits and responses to circumstances around me. I loved this book, and I'm keeping it on my shelf to refer back to whenever necessary, and of course in plain view to recommend to my friends and family.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Extremely Useful Book - I am a marriage counselor and have used this book a lot. My clients who have read it comment that "this book was written about us." Most marriage issues are about communication and this book manages to address them all. I don't think it is a substitute for marriage counseling but certainly a great addition. And if you can't bring yourself to talk to a counselor please read this great book!
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A Must-Read for Every Marriage - Sadly I discovered this book too late for my own marriage - my wife had already gone by the time I read this. I'd worked hard on the relationship for over six years, but in retrospect I can see we both lacked crucial skills and insights, though it's probable that in the end nothing will save a relationship under certain circumstances. But for those times when things are in the balance and the right steps can make all the difference, this is the book to read.
Like all self-help books it takes nearly 300 pages to say what could be said in 15, but that's par for the course and no doubt many people will find it helpful to take the time to get through the repetitions and iterations. I found each section of the book to contain something of value, and at many times during the book I found myself thinking "I wish I'd thought of that" or "I wish we'd had this tool" and in general little was silly or wrong aside from two supposed "facts." The first is that, according to the authors, research shows people who live together before getting married have less successful marriages than those that marry before living together. I've seen a lot of data over the years and I know this claim to be based on a very incomplete understanding of what the data actually reveals. In Europe, for example, there have been several well-designed studies that clearly show couples who live together for at least 18 months prior to marriage have both happier and longer-lasting relationships. The second error is the statement that couples who have strong religious beliefs have happier marriages. Again, I'm not aware of this being the case from real-world data and the examples cited by the authors in the appendix are, upon closer inspection, flawed and highly selective. Again, well-controlled studies show that there's no statistical effect discernible.
But these two mistakes aside - and they are errors no doubt intended to broaden the book's appeal in conservative America - the book has a lot of useful suggestions, tools, and methods of self-discovery. There are gaps and omissions, of course, but by the end of the book most readers will have begun to fill in such gaps for themselves. In short, I highly recommend this book to anyone in a relationship who would like to make it stronger and better. But no book can work miracles and no amount of self-awareness can overcome the imperatives of biology, so it's only going to make a difference on the margins.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Must read if you have been married 10 years or more - This book really gave me a new perspective on marrige. It does require the full participation of both partners, however. You BOTH have to want to do this. To do the exercises in this book, each person has to deal more with what they themselves are doing/ not doing and face it... then, to sympathize with your partner. It shows you how to look for the good and be open, little by little. It has great examples. I urge couples who want to make a real difference to hold hands and jump into this book with all you've got. The rewards could be untold. This book can be a phenomenol tool in learning how to relate to and understand one other. It is a very introspective course in learning what lies behind all the little things, as well as the really big things and how your own actions can be read, and misread, by your partner.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A must have marital 'how to' manual - I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Howard Markman on my show. I found 'Fighting For Your Marriage' to be well written, easy to read and extremely useful. Dr. Markman and his colleagues have done an excellent job of making this book user friendly and viable, not only for solving problems but for preventing them as well. Every couple should have this on their bookshelf and I urge you to buy it whether for yourself or as a gift to a couple you love.
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