What are the "Four Horsemen" identified by Gottman as predictors of relationship dissolution, and what is a common repair strategy?

• A. Jealousy, indifference, rigidity, and inconsistency; repair strategies include secrecy, withdrawal, and ultimatums.
• B. Dishonesty, lack of humor, selfishness, and incompatibility; repair strategies include compromise, honesty, and frequent dates.
• C. Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling; repair strategy includes soothing, de-weaponizing, problem-focused discussion, and turning toward each other.
• D. Anger, withdrawal, distraction, and blaming; repair strategies include time-out, ignoring, lecturing, and venting.

Answer: (C)

Gottman shows that certain destructive interaction patterns are strong predictors of relationship breakdown. He calls these the Four Horsemen: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. When partners repeatedly engage in these behaviors, the way they handle conflict erodes trust and closeness, making dissolution more likely unless the pattern is interrupted.

A common repair strategy to counter these dynamics involves four elements: soothing the nervous system so emotions don’t stay hijacked by danger signals, de-weaponizing the interaction by avoiding blame and sarcasm, shifting to problem-focused discussion aimed at solving the issue rather than attacking the partner, and turning toward each other—engaging with warmth, curiosity, and responsiveness to bids for connection. This combination focuses on calming the moment, reducing defensiveness, and reconnecting, which is essential for moving past the damaging cycle. The other options list behaviors or repair approaches that don’t align with Gottman’s identified patterns or remedies, which is why this choice is the best fit.