Gottman Method Practice Test 2026 – Marital Assessment and Therapy Strategies

Gottman’s approach to handling conflict focuses on keeping the interaction calm and opening the door to repair. This includes starting with a gentle startup—bringing up issues without blaming, in a respectful tone; using physiological soothing to lower arousal so emotions don’t override judgment; and beginning with repair attempts—things like a brief acknowledgment, apology, or a cue that you want to reconnect before problem-solving. Harsh, confrontational language, in contrast, escalates anger, triggers defensiveness, and disrupts the possibility of constructive collaboration, so it doesn’t fit with these de-escalation and repair-oriented strategies.