Emotional Risk-Taking in Marital Relationships: A Phenomenological Approach

Abstract

Couples seeking counseling often present with concerns regarding intimacy. Emotional risk-taking is an integral component of creating intimacy, yet little is known about the subjective, gendered experiences of emotional risk-taking within marital relationships. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand subjective emotional risk-taking for couples within marital relationships. This phenomenological study provides a glimpse into the experiences of male and female participants in regard to emotional intimacy. Through qualitative analysis, several common themes emerged with varying twists in regard to how these themes are experienced differently by the two genders. Implications for marital therapy and research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• couple counseling
• marital relationships
• phenomenological study
• emotional risk-taking
• intimacy