The Sound Relationship House

Gottman's umbrella model, the theory that the Seven Principles map onto. A house with seven levels and two weight-bearing walls. The levels, bottom to top: Build Love Maps, Share Fondness and Admiration, Turn Towards Instead of Away, The Positive Perspective, Manage Conflict, Make Life Dreams Come True, and Create Shared Meaning. The two walls holding it all up: Trust and Commitment. The architecture matters: the friendship levels at the bottom are the foundation, and conflict management sits in the middle, not at the base. Couples who try to fix conflict without rebuilding friendship are renovating the third floor of a house with a cracked foundation.

Origin

John Gottman & Julie Gottman