Name of Concept
Emotional Reactivity in Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy
Introduction
Emotional reactivity can be defined as the strength and duration of an affective response to a stimulus (Rothbart and Derryberry 1981; Shapero et al. 2016). In the context of couples, emotional reactivity can be defined as “the frequency with which affect becomes dysregulated” in couple interactions (Greenberg and Goldman 2008, p. 58). Emotional reactivity may occur in couple therapy when a member of a couple expresses their feelings in a manner that is destructive to the relationship, resulting in the escalation of affect and negative interaction cycles. One goal of emotion-focused couple therapy (EFT-C) is to move partners away from automatic emotional reactivity and to the expression of more adaptive, regulated emotions that aid couple members in meeting their needs (Goldman and Greenberg 2007; Greenberg and Goldman 2008).
Theoretical Context for Concept
Emotions may be adaptive or maladaptive,...
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References
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Seiter, N., Smith, A.D., Quirk, K. (2019). Emotional Reactivity in Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_176
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_176
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