Behavior Analysis and the Scientific Study of Couples‪.‬

Behavior analysis has recently contributed a great deal to the study of couples. The current paper reviews several of those contributions. First, the contributions of behavior analysis to the development of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (ICT) are discussed. It is concluded that behavior analysis has guided ICT to be more flexible, more thoroughly contextual, and more attentive to naturally occurring contingencies for change. Second, a behavior analytic exploration of acceptance is discussed, highlighting the what, when, and how of acceptance in therapy. Third, a behavioral conceptualization of intimacy is reviewed, highlighting the contributions that behavior analytic principals make to our understanding of the intimacy process. Finally, the contributions of behavior analysis to the study and treatment of depression are briefly reviewed, with an emphasis on conceptualizing depression in context. ********** Behavior analysis has recently contributed a great deal to the study of couples. Although the study of couples has a long history of using behavioral observation as a key method, a great deal of the work has been either consciously pre-theoretical (in an inductive sense; e.g., Gottman, 1994) or inspired by common-sense theory. Recently, however, those in the field are rediscovering the theoretical and practical utility of behavior analysis.