This paper addresses the dilemma of how formerly married couples negotiate their ongoing relationships. Drawing on interview data collected from divorced people, we explore various ways in which the stories that people tell about their marriages retrospectively relate to the management of interpersonal conflict. Along with examining intersections between postmarital narratives and experiences of conflict, we describe social obstacles to positive postmarital redefinition that emerge in divorced people's accounts. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for clinical work.
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