
The Mathematics of Marriage
Dynamic Nonlinear Models
Bradford Books (Publisher)
Published on 14. January 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
424 pages
978-0-262-57230-9 (ISBN)
Description
Divorce rates are at an all-time high. But without a theoretical understanding of the processes related to marital stability and dissolution, it is difficult to design and evaluate new marriage interventions. The Mathematics of Marriage provides the foundation for a scientific theory of marital relations. The book does not rely on metaphors, but develops and applies a mathematical model using difference equations. The work is the fulfillment of the goal to build a mathematical framework for the general system theory of families first suggested by Ludwig Von Bertalanffy in the 1960s.The book also presents a complete introduction to the mathematics involved in theory building and testing, and details the development of experiments and models. In one "marriage experiment," for example, the authors explored the effects of lowering or raising a couple's heart rates. Armed with their mathematical model, they were able to do real experiments to determine which processes were affected by their interventions.
Applying ideas such as phase space, null clines, influence functions, inertia, and uninfluenced and influenced stable steady states (attractors), the authors show how other researchers can use the methods to weigh their own data with positive and negative weights. While the focus is on modeling marriage, the techniques can be applied to other types of psychological phenomena as well.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Massachusetts
United States
Publishing group
MIT Press Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
682 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-262-57230-9 (9780262572309)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

John M. Gottman | James D. Murray | Catherine C. Swanson
The Mathematics of Marriage
Dynamic Nonlinear Models
E-Book
01/2005
Bradford Books
€38.99
Available for download
Persons
John M. Gottman is Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington. James D. Murray is Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics at the University of Washington. Catherine Swanson is a software engineer at the University of Washington. Rebecca Tyson is Research Scientist at the University of Arizona. Kristin R. Swanson is Senior Fellow in Pathology and Applied Mathematics at the University of Washington.
Author
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Northwestern University