Week 6: Chapters 7–8 — The Energizing Cycle: C-O-U-P-L-E

1.Eggerichs introduces the COUPLE acrostic as the six ways a husband can communicate love to his wife: Closeness, Openness, Understanding, Peacemaking, Loyalty, and Esteem. Before looking at definitions, which of these words do you immediately sense is your weakest area?

2.Closeness is about a wife's need for face-to-face connection — to feel that her husband wants to be near her emotionally, not just physically. How does a husband's natural tendency toward independence and task-focus work against this need, and what is a small, concrete step toward greater closeness?

3.Openness refers to a wife's need for her husband to share his inner world — his feelings, fears, and thoughts. Many men find this genuinely difficult, not because they are withholding, but because they process internally. How can a husband honor his wife's need for openness without feeling like he is being forced to perform emotionally?