This examination of the changing relationships between men and women in modern culture argues that Hollywood film has often been a powerful mirror of American romance and sexuality. The author notes also how changing acting styles have led to new types of relationships being depicted on screen.

Who decides how, when, and where Americans fall in love and get married? Virginia Wexman's acute observations about movie stars and acting techniques show that Hollywood has often had the most powerful voice in demonstrating socially sanctioned ways of becoming a couple. Until now serious film critics have paid little attention to the impact of performance styles on American romance, and have often treated "patriarchy," "sexuality," and the "couple" as monolithic and unproblematic concepts. Wexman, however, shows how these notions have been periodically transformed in close association with the appearance, behavior, and persona of the stars of films such as The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Way Down East, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Sunset Boulevard, On the Waterfront, Nashville, House of Games, and Do the Right Thing. The author focuses first on the way in which traditional marriage norms relate to authorship (the Griffith-Gish collaboration) and genre (John Wayne and the Western). Looking at male and female stardom in terms of the development of "companionate marriage," she discusses the love goddess and the impact of method acting on Hollywood's ideals of maleness. Finally she considers the recent breakdown of the ideal of monogamous marriage in relation to Hollywood's experimentation with self-reflexive acting styles. Creating the Couple is must reading for film scholars and enthusiasts, and it will fascinate everyone interested in the changing relationships of men and women in modern culture.

This examination of the changing relationships between men and women in modern culture argues that Hollywood film has often been a powerful mirror of American romance and sexuality. The author notes also how changing acting styles have led to new types of relationships being depicted on screen.

The definitive therapist manual for Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT)—one of the most empirically supported approaches to couple therapy. Andrew Christensen, codeveloper (along with the late Neil Jacobson) of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy, and Brian Doss provide an essential manual for their evidence-based practice. The authors offer guidance on formulation, assessment, and feedback of couples’ distress from an IBCT perspective. They also detail techniques to achieve acceptance and deliberate change. In this updated edition of the work, readers learn about innovations to the IBCT approach in the 20+ years since the publication of the original edition—including refinements of core therapeutic techniques. Additionally, this edition provides new guidance on working with diverse couples, complex clinical issues, and integrating technology into a course of treatment.

Want to make your relationship stronger? Start with the two simple words used in the most successful relationships: Thank You. Grateful couples experience more care, intimacy, and support in their relationships and have relationships that feel better and last longer. With new questions on every page, this book is the ultimate guide to improving and strengthening your relationship through the power of gratitude. 240 Unique Writing Prompts—With 240 unique writing prompts, this journal helps you easily reconnect with and express what's good about each other and your relationship. Empowering Affirmations—Empowering affirmations guide you to adopt a balanced, positive view of yourself, your partner, and your relationship. Engaging Quotes—Engaging quotes inspire and remind you of the power of gratitude and how it can change the way you see and feel about your partner and your relationship. Grow Your Connection—The journal will guide you to recognize and appreciate the moments and actions that make a positive impact on your relationship, helping to deepen the connection and strengthen the bond you have with your partner. 5 Minutes at a Time—Write in the journal whenever you and your partner have a few minutes to spare. Whether it's one page every night or a page a week, finding gratitude can be easy even in the busiest of lives. For Couples at Any Stage—This journal is perfect for couples of all stages, whether you're dating, newly married, or have been together for many years. Small Actions, Big Difference—By focusing your intentions, cultivating feelings of gratitude, and expressing what you appreciate, your relationship will blossom into a happier, closer, and more satisfying one. Written by the author of the best-selling book The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal, The Couple's Gratitude Journal is a helpful guide to making a habit out of being grateful, transforming your relationship from tension to connection, from full of doubt to full of confidence, and from plain 'ol good to pretty great. Whether you're getting it for yourself or as a gift to someone you love, The Couple's Gratitude Journal is the perfect tool to help create a more fulfilling relationship.

Forming a happy, joy-filled partnership is one of the greater challenges. Through Coupleship, many can find greater understanding and tools to: Enhance a current marriage Make a decision about commitment Explore ways to find a partner Loving and being loved isn't a skill, its a learned process sprinkled with a little magic. Explore, learn and understand. This book was the foundation of the couples workshop currently offered at Onsite workshops.

Change the relationship you have into the one you want. Welcome to the Relationship Revolution! Making Marriage Simple is the accessible, essential road map to building a strong marriage in the modern world. Bestselling authors Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt distill into ten essential truths what they've learned about how to create a successful and satisfying relationship—both from their decades of “R&D” in the marriage lab of their workshops, and from their own relationship journey. In each chapter, Harville and Helen introduce a simple truth—such as “a frustration is a wish in disguise,” “incompatibility is grounds for marriage,” or “conflict is growth trying to happen”—and then walk couples through easy yet effective exercises to help them apply each truth in real life, every day. Harville and Helen have spent their careers helping couples transform their marriages through research, workshops, and counseling. But marriage—even for marriage experts—is never easy, and a number of years ago they found themselves on the brink of divorce. Harville and Helen put themselves back through the exercises they’d coached so many other couples through, saving their marriage and helping them achieve a true partnership. This book is for all couples. It offers the practical tools needed to transform one’s relationship into a rewarding and joyous marriage. Written with humor, compassion, and honesty, and illustrated throughout with engaging line drawings, Making Marriage Simple is a strategic blueprint for creating a stronger, more satisfying partnership in today's world.

A healthy marriage is the result of much more than a stroke of good fortune, the accidental meeting of two "soul mates," or a conscious commitment to stay together no matter what. Studies have found that romantic, passionate love is often just a memory by the wedding, or within the first year of marriage. Creating an intimate, satisfying, and stable marriage is by no means easy or guaranteed--it requires thought, communication, planning, and true commitment to each other (though luck and compatibility never hurt). The window of opportunity in which to build the foundation for such a relationship is narrow, and does not often last too long after the first two years of a marriage. Getting it Right theFirst Time provides the information every couple needs to know to understand what really makes a marriage work. Husband and wife team, Barry and Emily McCarthy share clear, helpful guidelines for creating a healthy marriage and reveal the strategies, skills, and attitudes that can help prevent disappointment, resentment, and alienation from entering the relationship. Ask any happily married couple whether the time and effort spent in creating a healthy marriage has been worth it, and you should get a universal answer. Getting it Right the FirstTime can make getting there a little easier.

Growing as a Couple is a book written by a real therapist to help couples with effective skill building techniques. These skills reinforce the foundation that healthy relationships should be built on. You'll learn to explore and apply new ways to improve communication, express your feelings, negotiate in your relationship, cope better with problems, and resolve conflicts with the one you love. Each chapter teaches you an essential skill that supports greater relationship satisfaction and deeper intimacy. Couple's are encouraged to work together throughout this book. Each mate will learn how to demonstrate respect and love through listening and using clean communication to enhance the relationship.

Draws on extensive research, counseling workshops with couples and the authors' own 30-year relationship to distill basic, provocative truths about marriage and provide essential tools for rendering a marriage more rewarding and positive. 50,000 first printing.