title: Toward a metacommunicational framework of couple interactions.
abstract: A multi-level, metacommunicational framework to understand couple interactions is presented. Five interactional levels are defined following a mode of abstraction that parallels the theory of logical types; case examples are offered of couples interacting at each of the levels. The clinical implications of the framework, as a metaphor for understanding transactional processes, are discussed with an emphasis on the pragmatics of working with punctuational diffferences, developing therapeutic strategies, measuring progress, and setting goals for therapy with couples.
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D014152:Transactional Analysis