Marriage and Communication in Intimate Relationship

MARRIAGE AND COMMUNICATION IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation
MARRIAGE AND COMMUNICATION IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
Describe contemporary marriage variations in the United States and other countries.
The three influential typologies that describe contemporary marriages include Olson and Fowers, Cuber and Haroff, and Gottman. Among all the classifications, they portray the various marriage types and satisfaction levels in the marriages. They highlight which types of marital relationships are likely to survive compared to those likely to end in a divorce. As emphasized by the survey, all the typologies are essential in portraying the different marital relationships and marriages. However, the typologies exhibit variant limitations in their studies. First, findings cannot be generalized and are biased since the survey premised on middle and upper-middle-class couples in therapy and predominantly white couples. The survey samples did not reflect the typical U.S married demographic. Furthermore, in all the studies, there is an overlap in the couple's attributes. For example, conflict-habituated couples in Cuber and Haroff typology may similarly be devitalized, and vital marriages may morph into passive-congenial.
In the United States, both Same-Sex (gay) and Opposite-Sex (heterosexual) marriages are widely practiced and legally recognized. There are public acceptance and tolerance to gay marriages in the U.S. However, in other countries, Opposite-Sex marriage is the type predominantly accepted and legalized. Same-Sex marriages in other countries are frowned upon, and there is widespread opposition by the governments and citizens. Additionally, in other countries, arranged or semi-arranged marriages are usually the norm and further differ culturally.
In contrast, U.S. marriages are typically determined by the couples` decisions. Couples in the U.S. get into marriage agreements without the influence of other parties deriving motivation from love, social, cultural, religious, economic, or political factors. Of similarity, contemporary marriage variation in the United States and other countries is the "living apart together" (LAT) marriage arrangements. Personal or economic reasons usually dictate the LAT relationships. It involves couples coming into an agreement to live in different houses but are still legally married. It might be for economic reasons like in China and Belgium or social and personal reasons like in some Scandinavian countries and the United States.
Explain how marital happiness, marital success, and health are interrelated.
Marital happiness usually results in a healthy and successful marriage. At the same time, the marital success that encompasses marital happiness and health is measured in marital satisfaction and stability. Satisfaction in marriage designates whether each partner views marriage as good or bad. On the other hand, stability measures a marriage's intactness level (Holman et al., 1994; Noller and Fitzpatrick, 1993). Various factors like education, marriage age, and couples' economic capability contribute to marital well-being and success.
Married people tend to be overly healthier than unmarried people, as explained by two main sociological illustrat...