Illusion and Disillusion: The Self in Love and Marriage

Speaking to the most basic dilemmas and barriers encountered in many of today's marriages, Crosby focuses on the self as the cornerstone and integrative thread for relationships within marriage. Using primarily a family systems framework, Crosby proposes that individual dynamics can best be understood in terms of interactions both within one's family of origin and one's present relationships. Object relations, exchange, resource, and symbolic interaction theories supplement this framework. Based on significant research findings, clinical insights, and experiential truth, Illusion And Disillusion encourages readers to think of marriage as a relationship between two self-aware people open to growth and change and thus not bound to traditional societal role definitions and expectations.