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Key points
- Emotionally focused couples therapists encourage engagement with emotions.
- A key part of emotionally focused couples therapy is the “unpacking” of the present moment.
- The infant-caregiver bond is an example of how the past can influence the relationship and therapy process.
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory emphasizes the influence of bidirectional interactions between the person, their context, and time, as well as the proximal processes of interaction between these different variables and the developing individual. Proximal processes are seen as the “engines of development,” the most important component in the model (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Characteristics of the person are seen to influence development through their effect on proximal processes. These personal characteristics are classified as demand characteristics (characteristics that are apparent upon meeting an individual), resource characteristics (mental, emotional, or material resources that the individual possesses), or force characteristics (an individual’s motivational characteristics).
Importantly, context in this model is seen to be made up of microsystems (smaller systems that the person is a part of), mesosystems (interactions between microsystems), exosystems (systems that have an indirect influence on development), macrosystems (the larger social system that the person is a part of), and chronosystems (historical time systems). Time includes microtime (the present moment), mesotime (the frequency of certain proximal processes), and macrotime (synonymous with the chronosystem).
Bidirectional Interaction
Consistent with a bioecological perspective, the individuals in emotionally focused couples therapy are thought to interact in a bidirectional manner, a proximal process. These proximal processes are at the core of the therapeutic intervention, as restructuring the interactions between partners is a key component of the emotionally focused method. This is reflected in the fact that emotionally focused therapists may be referred to as “process consultants” (Johnson, 2007). Individual emotions in this model can be thought of as resource characteristics that interact with proximal processes to influence the couple's relationship for better or for worse.
From a bioecological perspective, the goal of emotionally focused therapy may be to enhance the resource characteristics of responsiveness and emotional regulation/expression to improve the proximal processes within the microsystem of the couple's relationship. The emotionally focused couples therapist encourages engagement with emotions, which may foster greater emotional regulation and thus transform relational processes to become more positive and less negative. The emotionally focused model assumes that all couples have the communication skills (resource characteristics) to engage in effective proximal processes (communication within the couple) if they are not inhibited by their “hard” emotions. Force characteristics come into play in emotionally focused couples therapy because if couples are more motivated to change their relationship, they are more likely to fully engage in the therapeutic process and thus enjoy more positive outcomes.
"Unpacking" the Present Moment
A key part of emotionally focused couples therapy is the “unpacking” of the present moment (Johnson, 2007) to enhance moment-to-moment emotional responding. Thus, intervening in microtime is seen as the key to lasting change. While this may suggest that emotionally focused couples therapy neglects some of the time components of the bioecological model, namely the lifespan, mesotime, and macrotime components, the influence of these different constituents is involved in the therapeutic process.
The infant-caregiver bond that ultimately influences a partner’s attachment style is an example of how events in the past influence the couple's relationship and therapeutic process in the present. For example, a lack of responsiveness in bidirectional infant-caregiver interactions may produce a fear of attachment in an individual. This fear of attachment may create negative primary emotions in an individual, which may show themselves as secondary emotion reactions, influencing the couple's relationship and therapeutic process. Given that an individual's caregiver-infant attachment history has an indirect effect on their partner, this relationship could be thought of as an example of the exosystem influence on the couple's relationship. The frequency of couple conflict that likely contributes to a couple’s decision to seek therapy is an example of how mesotime is involved in couples therapy. Historical context (the chronosystem) is implicitly taken into account in emotionally focused therapy because the therapist and couple are all embedded in the same historical context.
The emotionally focused therapist’s use of acceptance, validation, and empathy can be thought of as resource characteristics of the therapist that improve the proximal processes involved in the client-therapist relationship. These resource characteristics are essential in creating change within each individual and the couple as a whole. In addition, emotionally focused couples therapy’s holistic perspective is in harmony with a bioecological perspective, which considers the whole individual to change in development.
Contrasts With the Bioecological Model
Emotionally focused couples therapy may not account for the embeddedness of the person in their context to the extent that the bioecological model calls for. This is reflected by the fact that emotionally focused therapists try to avoid digging into past histories and other context factors. The focus is instead on emotions and communication in the present moment, which neglects to acknowledge the importance of events over the lifespan of the individual (with exception to experiences related to attachment histories).
Also in contrast to a bioecological perspective, emotionally focused couples therapy does not take into account the influence of the macrosystem or even mesosystem on the couple's relationship. Expanding this method to include the mesosystem may involve having partners discuss stressors outside of their relationship and learning how to be responsive to each other's needs surrounding these stressors. For example, if an individual feels insecure that their partner is spending too much time at work, the partner may be encouraged to listen to these concerns and reassure their partner. To include the macrosystem in emotionally focused couples therapy, a therapist must be culturally responsive to the couples who come into the therapy room, learning how to modify their methods to be sensitive to each couple's cultural background.
To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
References
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In R. M. Lerner (ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology, Vol. I, Theoretical Models of Human Development (6th ed., pp. 793–828). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Johnson, S. M. (2007). The contribution of emotionally focused couples therapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37(1), 47–52.
