Based on interviews with 32 couples and extensive case studies of 5 couples, this book explores relationships in marriage. Part 1 on becoming a couple discusses the attraction between partners, using genograms to understand the true nature of the raw materials that couples bring into their intimate relationships, the balance between autonomy and intimacy, components of love, and the expectation of happily ever after. Part 2 focuses on emotional triangles and includes chapters on marriages as systems, marriage infidelity, and why individuals seek out emotional triangles. Marital problems and solutions are addressed in Part 3, as well as the roles of the silent husband and the hysterical wife. Part 4 on sexuality explains sexual problems couples experience and sexual cures. Part 5 discuses the transformation couples go through during their child-launching years, and Part 6 explores the postparenting phase in which couples reintegrate. Throughout the book, therapy sessions are recounted to illustrate concepts. Numerous references.