Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology
VOL 15 NO 2 JUNE 2026

How Long-Married Couples Stabilize Relationship Crises: A Phenomenological Study of Self-Managed Relational Processes

Nadia Ismoyorini (Faculty of Education and Psychology Universitas Negeri Semarang)
Pradipta Christy Pratiwi (Faculty of Education and Psychology Universitas Negeri Semarang)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 May 2026

Abstract

This study examines how long-married couples sustain relational stability amid severe crises through self-managed processes of stabilization. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through sequential dyadic and individual interviews with three couples married for 25–28 years who perceived themselves as having successfully navigated past conflicts. Thematic analysis was employed to capture recurring patterns while preserving the relational and contextual nature of participants’ experiences. Findings indicate that marital resilience operates through a dynamic stabilization process involving (1) cognitive reframing, (2) emotional first aid through strategic silence, (3) dyadic repair to restore relational warmth, (4) intrapersonal ego-adjustment, and (5) structural role flexibility. Notably, silence is reinterpreted as an active regulatory practice embedded in relational contexts. The study also highlights asymmetrical emotional labor within couples, suggesting that stability is often maintained through unequal adaptive efforts. These findings extend conventional coping frameworks by conceptualizing resilience as an ongoing process of relational stabilization rather than discrete conflict resolution.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

Psychology

Publisher

Subject

Education Public Health

Description

Journal of Educational, Health, and Community Psychology (JEHCP) published an article, and empirical study that have originality, novelty and fill the gap of knowledge, that focused on educational psychology, health psychology and community psychology. JEHCP is an open access peer reviewed, ...