Marital Fusion in Couples

Name of Concept

Marital Fusion

Introduction

The term “fusion” denotes the idea of two entities coming together to act as a single unit (Oxford Dictionary n.d.). In the context of a marriage, fusion describes a dynamic wherein each member of the union is unable to operate independently from his/her partner from a psycho-emotional perspective (Klever 2003). This neglect of one’s individuality within the scope of the relationship is a crucial feature of fusion (Karpel 1976). Marital fusion is related to multiple features of the clinical picture including anxiety, emotionality, poor differentiation, faulty attachment styles and coping mechanisms, and lack of insight. As such, fusion almost always leads to conflict and friction in the relationship, which may warrant clinical intervention.

Theoretical Context for Concept

Fusion is a fundamental aspect of Bowen’s theory of “differentiation,” whereby the parameters of the fusion are defined by the extent to which each partner is unable to...