Family: Dynamic & Structure

Funciones del matrimonio

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The Functions of Marriage

Jessica Kusanovic

Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, OK

Group #75 FSG

Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Gerontology

Module #5 Family: Dynamic & Structure

Sheila Williams

November 17, 2015

Marriage and Family

For the past millennium, most societies have used marriage to consolidate or transfer property, control social and sexual affiliations, build political alliances, create social-bracket connections, establish kid-duties, reallocate sources to subsidiaries, and be in charge of the division of industry by gender (Coontz, 2000). The death of marriage is a popular story recycled through the media, but the fact remains that 90% of Americans will eventually marry, which is the highest rate out of all industrialized nations. As Stephanie Coontz pointed out, historically marriage was about bringing together these two families and economic security, the biggest change of contemporary marriage is that it is based on this ephemeral ideal of love (Skolnick, 2014). The author bases the article on two of her studies, the first of which is based on the longitudinal studies carried out at the Institute of Human Development (IHD) at the University of California, Berkeley. This study it was extended from 1958 to 1982. Relationships have different perspectives: that of the different spouses and the “good marriage-bad marriage” (Skolnick, 2014, pg. 143). By analyzing the statements of good and bad from the couples, researchers could not determine the happy couples from analyzing the statements based on the negative reports, only the positive reports demonstrated the happy couples. John Gottman developed four behavioral patterns that reflected marital breakdown: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling (Skolnick, 2014, pp. 143, 144). Relationships needed to demonstrate a five to one ratio of positive feedback to negative interactions for the healthy couples. Lifestyle or common interests did not matter; the emotional core of the marriage was the single determining factor, balance between the good and the bad experiences, plus communication (Skolnick, 2014, pg. 143).

Many people today are asking, “What is the meaning of marriage?” According to the sociologists Schwartz and Scott the meaning of marriage is “different things to different people and different people do or do not marry for different reasons”. Almost everyone, nonetheless, reconsiders marriage as a comparatively permanent and committed relationship (Schwartz & Scott, 2012, p. 240). At the same time, most couples get married in a religious environment, this means that for them marriage is sacrament. An additional definition that marriage has is “a union between people that unites them sexually, socially, and economically, that is relatively consistent over time, and that accords each person certain agreed-upon rights” (Schwartz & Scott, 2012, pp.240, 241). Today, marriage is a civil right in the United Sates that applies to not only heterosexual couples in U.S. society while lesbians and gays can now legally be married in some states of the country (Schwartz, Scott, 2012, p. 240).

Legal marriage is “a legally binding agreement or contractual relationship between two people that is defined and regulated by the state” (Schwartz, et al., 2012, p. 241). In contrast, social marriage is a relationship between people who cohabit and engage in behavior that is essentially the same as that within a legal marriage, but without engaging in a marriage ceremony that is validated or defined as legally binding by the state (Schwartz, Scott, 2012, p. 241).

Personal marriage agreement is a written agreement between a married couple in which issues of a role responsibility, obligation, and sharing are addressed in a manner tailored to their own personal preferences desires, and expectations (Schwartz, Scott, 2012, p. 249). Marital adjustment is the process by which marital partners change or adopt their behavior, attitudes, and interactions to develop a good working relationship and to satisfy each other’s needs over the marital life course (Schwartz, Scott, 2012, p. 255).

The term “cohabitation”, that was mentioned earlier, is a lifestyle in which unmarried couples involved in a sexual relationship are living together, in what is sometimes called a consensual or informal union. Cohabitation is also seen as a substitute or a “rehearsal” of marriage, which is less successful and less stable (Papalia, Feldman, Martorell, 2012).

Marriage and family socially signifies the phase of higher progress. It is expositive of man’s entrance into the age of feeling, excitement, peace and education. Marriage is the most significant practice institution created in the human society, it is also an institution