We’ve been talking about PREPARE/ENRICH, one of the assessments I use in my Couple’s Coaching Programs. All of my relationship programs have three components: evaluation, education, and skill development.
I use many tools to help you figure out where you are in relation to where you want to be in life and love and career. This is one of my favorites. In fact, I’ve been using PREPARE/ENRICH with couples for more than two decades. That’s a long time!
Five Couple Types
Today I want to introduce you to the five relational patterns of identified through research with thousands of married couples. I’ll follow up with examples of married couples who meet criteria for four of the types and describe their dynamics in separate videos. So be sure to stay tuned.
Positive Couple Agreement
PREPARE/ENRICH evaluates the degree of Positive Couple Agreement (PCA) in nine core areas: Communication, Conflict Resolution, Partner Style and Habits, Financial Management, Leisure Activities, Sexual Relationship, Family and Friends, Roles and Responsibilities, and Spiritual Beliefs. Based on their PCA score, married couples are categorized into one of five Couple Types: Vitalized, Harmonious, Conventional, Conflicted, or Devitalized.
The Vitalized Couple
The first type describes Vitalized Couples, who are typically most satisfied with their relationship. They are skilled in communication and conflict resolution, which – as you can imagine – are closely related to one another. They have many strength areas and report a high level of relationship satisfaction. They may still have areas that need improvement. However, developing strong relationship skills will help them strengthen their foundation.
The Harmonious Couple
Second, we have Harmonious Couples, who enjoy a high degree of relationship satisfaction. They generally feel good about many areas of their relationship, but there is definitely room for improvement. They may need help identifying those areas as well as a plan to continue developing their relationship skills.
The Conventional Couple
Third are Conventional Couples, who are highly committed and are strong in their relationship roles and spiritual beliefs. However, they often need to work on developing more effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
The Conflicted Couple
Fourth are Conflicted Couples. They disagree with one another and have concerns about many aspects of their relationship. They experience significant difficulty communicating with one another and resolving issues. They need guidance to help them improve communication and conflict resolution.
The Devitalized Couple
The fifth and final type are Devitalized Couples. They disagree about many aspects of their relationship. They feel disconnected from one another and experience a lot of trouble with communication. Consequently, many of their conflicts go unresolved. These folks are likely to need a skilled professional or licensed mental health professional to help them rebuild their marriage.
Examples, please.
If you’d like to see examples of Harmonious, Conventional, Conflicted, and Devitalized couples, with an emphasis on their Relationship Dynamics profile, you’ll want to read the next four posts. And if you have any questions or comments, be sure to let me know. Remember, I’m here to help.