picture of Robert P. Rugel

Robert P. Rugel


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Dr. Rugel was raised in suburban Philadelphia.  He received his B.S. from Hiram College and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Florida State University.  After graduate school he took a teaching position in the Psychology Department at Virginia Tech.  Later on he moved to Northern Virginia when began teaching in the Psychology Department at George Mason University.  At George Mason University he taught courses in individual, marital and group psychotherapy, supervised clinical work at the Psychological Clinic and directed marital therapy outcome research at the Marital Therapy Center.   He and his wife raised their family in Northern Virginia where they continue to live.  Throughout his teaching career Dr. Rugel also maintained a part-time private practice devoted to working with adults and couples.  When he retired in 2003 his clinical practice became full time.

Taming Marital Arguments: Breaking Out of the T.R.A.P.

Robert P. Rugel, PhD
Loving Healing Press (2010)
ISBN 9781615990191
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (06/10)

Read the review on ReaderViews.com


Synopsis: For more than 40 years, Dr. Rugel has observed how quickly spouses feel disregarded in marriage and respond in a manner that upsets the partner. Their tranquil interactions then spiral into an unpleasant argument or into emotional distancing. Based on concepts from family systems theory, Dr. Rugel guides the reader through the process of recognizing and avoiding these destructive patterns, thus helping to bring the relationship back to harmony. In Taming Marital Arguments readers will:

  • Learn why spouses get stuck in repetitive, useless arguments.
  • Explore why your partner might perceive you as the enemy.
  • Discover the behaviors that commonly threaten our partners.
  • Determine what you need to work on to improve your marriage.
  • Conquer your own defensive/self-protective tendencies.
  • Recover the friend and lover your partner used to be.