Communication and Conflict Management in Relationship Enhancement Therapy: A Critique Using Contemporary Psychological Science and the Catholic Christian Metamodel of the Person

Abstract

Relationship Enhancement (RE) addresses many hindering factors to communication and conflict management that couples face noted in the psychological literature. RE is a form of skills-based couples’ psychotherapy in which couples work with a therapist to learn skills to deepen their relationship. RE offers a comprehensive framework for addressing the hindering and facilitating factors identified by the psychological literature. The Catholic Christian Metamodel of the Human Person (CCMMP) offers an integrated theoretical lens that identifies hindering and facilitating factors to conflict management and communication. The CCMMP is a holistic approach to the person that integrates psychological, philosophical, and theological dimensions of the person. There are many similarities between the CCMMP understanding of marriage and the goals and skill of RE, but these similarities have not been explored. The CCMMP enriches and supports the RE method. Thus, RE addresses the considerations of both the psychological sciences and the CCMMP, which indicates that RE is an empirically sound, faith-integrated approach that addresses couples concerns through conflict management and communication skills.