On the basis of the positions of behaviors relative to one another in the interpersonal circle, the principles of complementarity and anticomplementarity specify how people's behaviors influence one another in interpersonal interactions. Pairs of undergraduate women (1 subject, N = 80, and 1 confederate) collaborated for 16 min to create and agree on stories for two pictures. Confederates performed scripted roles that emphasized one of eight interpersonal behaviors. Behaviors were coded into eight categories, and the relative effect of each confederate behavior on each subject behavior was determined. Using the geometric properties of the interpersonal circle, vectors were calculated that identified the relative impact of each confederate stimulus behavior on the overall pattern of subject responses. Results were consistent with the dynamic relations among interpersonal behaviors that complementarity and anticomplementarity propose and demonstrated that how a person behaves toward another systematically and profoundly affects how the other behaves toward the person.

We describe a novel intervention program in which wives or daughters who are caregivers are taught several specific skills to enable them to manage their frustrations more effectively. These skills include learning to relax in very stressful situations and learning to be appropriately assertive with their frail elder and with other family members. Class content and structure are presented, along with preliminary data on class efficacy that is based on an N of 48 caregivers who have currently completed this particular class series. We close by noting that this psychoeducational intervention has been very well received by colleagues in other agencies serving family caregivers. In fact, this class series is now being offered to a broad range of caregivers in the San Francisco Bay area.

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The similarities and differences in male and female caregivers' preferred strategies for coping and the perceived helpfulness of these strategies in managing caregiving stressors were examined in this study. Respondents were 170 caregivers (139 women and 31 men) who were primary caregivers for an elderly adult relative who was either cognitively impaired or physically frail. Results provide preliminary evidence that gender is related to frequency of use but not to the perceived helpfulness of specific coping strategies.

This article is a content analysis of 10 prominent marital and family therapy journals during a 6-year period. Marital therapy articles were the focus of the analysis . ProliJic authors, institutions, types of articles being published, andpublication outlet were described. The aim is to survey the field and facilitate future scholarship.