Contempt

John Gottman, PhD is recognized by many as the guru of couples counseling. He and his staff conduct much of their research by holding couples captive (voluntarily, of course) in a Big Brother-style house. For days at a time, each and every movement and interaction between the couple is recorded and observed. Gottman gets to see how the interactions of “successful” couples differ from those who ended up getting divorced. After years of research, he claims to be able to predict, by observing a couple’s interaction for a very short amount of time, whether the couple is likely to be successful or not.

Gottman is a prolific author of advice to couples. This short article highlights several of Gottman’s key points building a successful relationship.