WORKING ON PARTNERSHIPS IN EMOTION FOCUSED THERAPY AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY - SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Abstract

In this paper I make a theoretical review of the work of partner relationships in emotion focused therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Partnerships have always been one of the leading reasons why people come to psychotherapy. Individual differences and disagreements are common in most partnerships and the potential for conflict is always present. When differences between partners are not respected and assertively managed, communication breaks down, a negative emotional tone sets in, and the focus shifts from partnership to resistance or withdrawal. Some of the reasons for raising these negative interactions in the partners relationships are that the partners lose positive emotional reciprocity, i.e. care or do less for each other, have unrealistic partner demands or expectations of each other, have differences in attitudes and values that are not communicated and resolved, have communication difficulties and dysfunctional communication models, use resistance models, which include cycles of push-pull, attack-pull and pull-pull; or have destructive or addictive individual behavior that damages the relationship. Here we must also mention the current Covid 19 situation for which psychologists agreed that if these difficulties exist between the partners then it emphasized them and made them more evident, more visible and the interest in partner therapy in this Covid period increases more and more. From here it’s understandable that the question of the clients is which is the most appropriate therapy and on the other hand the psychotherapists are wondering what are the techniques and interventions that would help them the most in the therapeutic process. In this paper we theoretically consider two partner therapies - emotion focused therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. The general opinion is that EFT is primarily focused on emotions, while CBT is more focused on thoughts. The aim of this paper is to analyze the existing research and literature in this area and to answer the question which is the most effective psychotherapy for marital problems, i.e. whether there are actually differences in effectiveness between therapies. In reviewing these questions, the paper follows the logic of the following structure: first we make a brief overview of the basic postulates of the therapy, then the process and finally we review the most prominent techniques used in that direction. Then we give a comparison in terms of differences and their effectiveness. A review of the literature and relevant research shows that there is no difference in the quality of psychotherapy, i.e. they confirm the old saying - all roads lead to Rome. Either of these psychotherapeutic directions can successfully deal with the challenges of the partner relationship.