Home / Summaries / The Handy Psychology Answer Book / marriage-percent-relationship

The Psychology of Every Life: Love, Marriage, and the Baby Carriage - Marriage

5 important questions on The Psychology of Every Life: Love, Marriage, and the Baby Carriage - Marriage

What makes a marriage last?

As marriages progress, the passion that may have characterized the early days tends to mellow into a deep bond of intimacy and commitment. Therefore, the relationship qualities that promote intimacy and commitment are most important to a long-lasting marriage. Strong communication, the ability to manage conflict constructively, shared experiences and values, and high levels of warmth and affection all contribute to successful marriages.

In addition, financial stability, positive ties to the extended family, and positive role models in the families of both partners (rather than frequent divorces and marital acrimony) are associated with long-term marriages.

What is the impact of avoiding conflict in a marriage?

Although too much conflict is clearly damaging to a marriage and husbands and wives must learn the important art of letting little things go, it is also harmful to a marriage to completely avoid conflict. When people continually avoid difficult topics, misunderstandings can grow and couples can start to grow apart.

By tiptoeing around the difficult issues, couples introduce distance into their relationship. In so doing, they deprive their relationship of the shared experience and mutual knowledge that provide the emotional foundation of marriage.

How important is sex to a marriage?

For most marriages, sex is a very important ingredient. A healthy, mutually satisfying sex life can enhance intimacy and passion and provide an important buffer against the inevitable strains and stresses of marriage. An unsatisfying sex life can both cause difficulties in a marriage and be a symptom of relationship problems.

It is important to note, however, that not all couples require the same degree of sexual activity. Moreover, sexual activity tends to decrease as couples age. What is important is that the sexual relationship works for both members of the couple.

How have the rates of marriage changed over time in the United States?

Despite the remarkable changes in sex roles over the last four decades, the overall marriage statistics have not changed as dramatically as one might predict. In 1950, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 32 percent of the population over age fifteen had never married, 68 percent were currently married, 4 percent were widowed, and 2 percent divorced. In 2007, an estimated 33 percent of the population had never married, 56 percent were married, 2 percent widowed, and 8 percent divorced.

Has the age of marrying changed over time in the United States?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people are marrying approximately five years later now than they did in the mid-twentieth century. The median age of first marriage in 1950 was 22,8 years for men and 20,3 years for women. In 2007, it was 27,5 years for men and 25,6 years for women.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

The Handy Psychology Answer Book | 9781578593545 | Lisa J Cohen

View summary