The Relationship Cure

Outline

The Relationship Cure (2001) shows how the small moments of daily life decide the strength of our relationships with partners, family, friends, and coworkers. John M. Gottman and Joan DeClaire explain the idea of emotional bids, the everyday attempts people make to connect, and how turning toward them builds trust while turning away weakens bonds. The book offers a practical five-step programme for improving any relationship.

• The small moments of daily life, more than big events, decide how strong a relationship becomes.
• An emotional bid is any everyday attempt a person makes to connect with someone else.
• Turning toward a bid builds trust, while turning away from it weakens the bond.
• The same ideas apply to partners, family, friends, and coworkers, not only to couples.
• The book offers a practical five-step programme for improving any relationship.

John M. Gottman and Joan DeClaire combine research and writing on relationships. Gottman is an American psychologist famous for decades of research on marriage and family relationships and co-founder of the Gottman Institute; his books include The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. DeClaire is an American writer on family and health topics who also co-wrote Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child with Gottman.