The interaction between post separation adjustment for reunited military families and the Women's Liberation Movement is a complex occurrence which is beginning to have a profound effect on some military families. Two forces are acting upon wives of servicemen that subject marriages to conflicts previously unheard of. One force is the critical period of reunion when husband and wife must readjust to each other after a prolonged separation. The second force is the impact which the Women's Liberation Movement has had on the wives while the husbands were away. During the husband's absence (on an unaccompanied overseas tour), the wife has become an independent head of household. The wife must again revert to a dependent role after the return of her husband which may result in complex interpersonal and social conflicts. The focus of this paper is on the conceptualization of these two forces, the effect it has on the couple, and how treatment may assist to stablize the marriage. (Author)