Concepts
- Turning Toward
- Gottman's concept of responding to a partner's bid for connection (a comment, gesture, or question) in a way that acknowledges and engages rather than ignoring or dismissing it.
- Contempt and Criticism
- Two of Gottman's Four Horsemen that Brittle covers in depth: contempt (treating a partner as inferior) and criticism (attacking character rather than addressing specific behavior), both reliably predictive of relationship breakdown.
- Repair Attempts
- Any word or action that tries to de-escalate conflict and restore connection — the Gottman finding that successful repair matters more than the absence of fighting.
- Friendship as Foundation
- The research-backed finding that strong couples are built on a deep friendship — knowing each other's worlds, maintaining genuine fondness, and turning toward each other during ordinary moments.
Chapters
- A is for Arguments
- B is for Betrayal
- C is for Contempt & Criticism
- D is for Defensiveness
- E is for Empathy
- F is for Friendship
- G is for Gratitude
- H is for Humor
- I is for Imagination
- J is for Judgment
- K is for Kissing
- L is for Love & Like
- M is for Money
- N is for Newlyweds
- O is for Opportunity
- P is for Problems
- Q is for Questions
- R is for Repair
- S is for Sex
- T is for Turning
- U is for Understanding
- V is for Violence
- W is for Wednesday
- X is for X-Rated
- Y is for Yes
- Z is for Zed
Rating
Topics
Published
- July 7, 2015
Publisher
- CreateSpace