Term
Four Horsemen
An image from the book, not a scientific term: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling. Gottman uses it for the four habits that, according to his data, most often foretell divorce. The image comes from the Apocalypse, where four horsemen arrive before the end of the world.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman, Nan Silver
Explained in
- The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman, Nan Silver
- Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia, Bill Gifford
Attia's name for the four main slow diseases: heart and blood vessel disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and type 2 diabetes. It is the author's image, not a medical term.
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell
Psychologist John Gottman’s framework of criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, and contempt as warning signs in a couple’s conversation. A researcher’s observation, not a diagnosis of a relationship.