Inconsistent nurturing as control theory: Implications for communication‐based research and treatment programs

Abstract

Relatively little theorizing has focused on the role of the significant other in sustaining or reducing undesired behavior. Inconsistent Nurturing as Control (INC) theory argues that (1) the paradoxical nature of the power structure in functional‐afflicted relationships places limits on the types of control strategies that functional partners can use in attempts to extinguish undesired behavior, and (2) functional partners may unintentionally encourage undesirable behavior through well‐intentioned efforts to discourage the same behavior (Le Poire, 1992, p. 1465). This article explains INC as it applies to all couples including functional and afflicted partners and proposes a communication‐based method of assessing and treating relationships in which the afflicted partner is substance‐dependent.