Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Marriage & Relationship Quiz For 2013 See the post from December 27 for a review of marriage and relationship changes in 2013 along with links to news and research sources. QUESTIONS ONLY  (Answers Below) 1. According to the Rand Corporation, about what percentage of white females entered a cohabiting relationship in the U.S. by age 23? 2. On average, what is the age when women first marry in the U.S.? 3. In the U.S., at what young age can people commonly marry with parental approval? 4. In the U.S., divorce rates remained stable at about what percent of marriages? 5. In a split decision, the U. S. Supreme Court found the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional in June. How many judges decided against DOMA? 6. In the U.S., remarriage has declined by what percent in the past 20 years? 7. Same-sex marriage is legal in how many U. S. States? 8. According to the Pew Forum, how many countries permit same-sex marriage? 9. According to the...

MARRIAGE & RELATIONSHIPS: A REVIEW OF 2013 The large world religions offer direction about moral relationships and offer ceremonies to celebrate the beginning of a marriage. Religions generally frown on or prohibit divorce. Adultery is perhaps the most commonly accepted reason for divorce. Monogamy is the norm in most religions but polygamy is widespread in Asia and Africa and Muslims are permitted to have up to four wives (Qur'an 4:2-3). The legal status of relationships changed for many couples in 2013; however, the fact that same sex couples could legally marry in many parts of the world does not indicate whether there were changes in the number of same-sex couples who lived together. Given the moral stance of most religions against same-sex marriage, one would expect same-sex couples will have to wed outside of places of worship. Will they be welcomed into holy places? Time will tell? For example, in the UK, England and Wales allow same-sex marriage but those m...

Changing Marriage Marriage under Reconstruction Part 2 I left my previous post with a simple question: What can be done? Of course, the context matters. I’m writing about the reconstruction of marriage. So the expanded question becomes: What can be done about reconstructing marriage given its current status in western cultures? I have some thoughts on what can be done. Live your values   People have changed the marriage construct by just living according to their values . By successfully living as a single person, individuals documented that many people could live a fulfilled life outside of a marital relationship. That’s different for societies that held up marriage as The Way to live life. The change to the marriage construct is one of valuing. In a different way, some religious groups also valued single living as they encouraged some to enter a life of devoted service. Some Christians have interpreted what seem like unusual texts as evidence that being sing...