Despite the growing body of research on Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT‐C), less research attention has been paid to the validity of EFT‐C's description of the relationship dynamics that characterize distressed couples. The current theoretical paper provides a narrative review of evidence from existing emotion and couple research for EFT‐C's assumptions on the origin of relationship distress (according to Johnson and to Greenberg and Goldman). Our findings lead to three conclusions: first, the general assumptions outlined by EFT‐Cs on need frustration, emotional responses, and interaction patterns are largely supported by the couple and emotion literature. Second, less straightforward evidence was found for the specific elaborations of these principles made by EFT‐Cs. Third, a lack of systematic research on EFT‐C's assumptions hampers strong conclusions. We suggest future research on this issue with attention toward current insights in the emotion and couple literature. Practitioner points Evidence supports EFT‐C's basic assumptions that partners’ unmet needs lead to relationship distress and negative emotions, which give rise to negative interaction cycles between partners Direct empirical evidence is available for attachment‐related assumptions, whereas assumptions on identity and attraction/liking needs have been less investigated Some of EFT‐C's more specific assumptions need to be more systematically researched 夫妻情绪聚焦治疗对于夫妻危机的理解：来自夫妻和情绪研究的证据概述 虽然有关夫妻情绪聚焦治疗（EFT‐C）的研究与日俱增, 却很少有研究探索了EFT‐C对于危机中夫妻特有的关系动态的描述是否具有效度。这篇理论文章总结了现有情绪和夫妻研究中与EFT‐C关于关系危机起源的假设的证据（依据Johnson, Greenberg和Goldman的说法）, 并提供了叙述性综述。从文中的发现得出三个结论：首先, EFT‐C列出的关于需求挫折、情感回应和互动模式的普遍性假设在很大程度上得到了夫妻和情绪相关文献的支持。第二, 关于EFT‐C针对这些原则的特定阐述的证据较为间接。第三, 关于EFT‐C假设的系统性研究的缺乏, 阻碍了有力结论的形成。我们在现有夫妻和情绪相关文献中的见解的基础上, 建议今后研究关注这一话题。 对实务工作者的启示 证据支持EFT‐C的基本假设, 即伴侣未被满足的要求会导致关系危机和负面情绪, 从而进一步引起伴侣之间的负面互动循环。 有直接的实证证据支持与依恋相关的假设, 但关于身份和吸引/喜爱需求的假设没有得到太多研究。 EFT‐C的一些更为特定的假设需要更加系统性的研究。 关键词：夫妻情绪聚焦治疗；关系需求；情绪；关系危机/冲突；专题综述