[Crisis-phenomena of couples in the second half of life (author's transl)]

In the introduction a literature-review has been presented concerning current discussions about marriage problems and their influence on the duration of marriage. It has been shown that a clear differentiation between disturbed and non-disturbed couples in the second half of life is as difficult as a differentiation between disturbed couples of different age. Both problems were discussed in the present investigation. For this purpose a symptom-check-list of martial diseases has been developed on a psychometric basis measuring 16 groups of martial diseases. This symptom-check-list was applied to 115 couples (non-disturbed and disturbed couples in the second half of life and disturbed couples in the first half of life). The individual answers were combined to dyadic answers; the mean-profiles of the three groups were summarized in one figure and were statistically analysed using a discriminance-analysis. In comparison to nondisturbed couples disturbed couples in the second half of life show a deficit of appreciation and of talking to each other and also differ with respect to their aims or expectations towards marriage. In comparison to couples in the first half of life disturbed couples in the second half of life have more problems concerning appreciation and the relation to their children. But they have comparatively less problems in the relation to their parents or relatives and in their professions. The results were discussed under the aspect of a clinical psychology of the second half of life and were discussed under the aspect of the possibility of their theoretical integration.