Respect is one of the cornerstones of healthy relationships. The article features the Couple's Respect Questionnaire as a tool for couples to explore specific examples and qualities of respect in their relationship. The four Rs are presented as core components of respect. They consist of Respect for differences, Responsibility (ability to respond respectfully), Review (a willingness to review), and Release (a willingness to release). Following a profile of the assessed behaviors, a stepwise procedure is outlined to increase a couple's respect and understanding of behavioral and personality differences.
Metaphors are creative ways of drawing comparisons. Metaphors are also a way of exploring relationship role perceptions. The authors describe how to use the six slices of a relationship metaphoric pie to explore and to strengthen relationships within couples. Metaphor use in everyday language, the arts, and case examples are provided. You as a couple are invited to complete your own Couples Metaphoric Interview Matrices. The article concludes with additional role perception activities from previous “for couples” columns in the Family Journal.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.