adaptable marriage relationship
A marriage relationship that allows and encourages partners to grow and change.
Social psychological filtering process in which individuals gradually filter out those among their pool of eligibles who they believe would not make the best spouse.
Money or property that the future groom pays the future bride's family so that he can marry her.
Force or unwanted sexual contact between people who are on a date. Also known as acquaintance rape.
Theoretical perspective that sees relationships as determined by the exchange of resources and the reward cost balance of that exchange. This theory predicts that people tend to marry others whose social class, education, physical attractiveness, and even self esteem are similar to their own.
The idea that the independent variable in a hypothesis is responsible for changes to a dependent variable.
with regard to marriage, it holds that something about the experience of being married itself causes certain results for spouses.
free choice culture
Culture or society in which individuals choose their own marriage partners, a choice based at least somewhat on romance.
Traditionally known as in the marriage and family literature as propinquity or proximity and referring to the fact that people tend to meet potential mated who are present in their regional environment.
Marriage between partners who differ in race, age, education, religious background, or social class.
Marriage between partners of similar race, age, education, religious background and social class.
Marriage between spouses who are not defined as of different races but do belong to different ethnic groups.
intergenerational transmission of divorce risk
The tendency for children of divorced parents to have a greater propensity to divorce than children from intact families.
Marriage of a partner of one (socially defined) race to some one of a different race.
mate selection risk
The greater possibility of children of divorced parents to choose partners with who have issues with relationships and commitment.
pool of eligibles
A group of individuals who by virtue of background or social status are most likely to be considered eligible to make culturally compatible marriage partners.
Improvising a course of action as a way of enacting a role. We may use our acts to alter the traditional expectations and obligations associated with a role. This concept emphasizes the variability in the ways different individuals enact a particular role.
The idea that many of the benefits associated with marriage are actually due to the personal characteristics of those who choose to marry.
status exchange hypothesis
Regarding interracial or interethnic marriage, the argument that an individual might trade his or her socially defined superior racial or ethnic status for the economically or educationally superior status in a less privileged racial or ethnic group.
theory of complementary needs
Theory developed by social scientist Robert Winch suggesting that we are attracted to partners whose needs complement our own. In the positive view of this theory, we are attracted to others whose strengths are harmonious with our own so that we are more effective as a couple than either of us would be alone.