Coding 'We-ness' in couple's relationship stories: A method for assessing mutuality in couple therapy

摘要

Objective: We-ness, a couple's mutual investment in their relationship and in each other, has been found to be a potent dimension of couple resilience. This study examined the development of a method to capture We-ness in psychotherapy through the coding of relationship narratives co-constructed by couples (We-Stories). It used a coding system to identify the core thematic elements that make up these narratives. Method: Couples that self-identified as happy (N=53) generated We-Stories and completed measures of relationship satisfaction and mutuality. These stories were then coded using the We-Stories coding manual. Results and Conclusions: Findings indicated that security, an element that involves aspects of safety, support, and commitment, was most common, appearing in 58.5 of all narratives. This element was followed by the elements of pleasure (49.1) and shared meaning/vision (37.7). The number of We-ness elements was also correlated with and predictive of discrepancy scores on measures of relationship mutuality, indicating the validity of the We-Stories coding manual. Limitations and future directions are discussed.