1. Attraction
1.1. Individuals typically marry for personal reasons, not to fulfill a role in society
1.2. Marriage continues to be a convenient primary relationship, offering friendship and companionship for both men and women
2. Cohabition
2.1. Couples may favour marriage over cohabition (although, the norm seems to trend towards cohabition)
3. Perception/Significance of Marriage
3.1. Marriage in all forms has survived as the primary relationship and the rite of passage that signifies transition into adulthood, in almost all societies
3.2. Functionalists describe marriage as a social institution that developed as an important part of the organization of society to meet humans' basic needs
3.3. Marriage reflects the various ways that societies organize to meet the functional requisites of sexual reproduction, socialization of children, and division of labor
3.4. Functionalists argue that people are happiest if they marry
3.5. Marriage may help form an individuals identity by providing a sense of purpose/clarity
3.6. Marrying may even be a cultural expectation as it allows individuals to commit to and support the person they love
3.7. 16th Century Protestant Reformation
3.7.1. since divorce was legalized, married life combined with romantic love were highly valued. This trend has escalated and it is a prime reason why individuals choose to marry
3.7.2. legal divorce meant that if a marriage didn't work out, people could get out of it and move on with their lives or remarry
4. Pair Bonding
4.1. is done naturally and it may be the result of a natural biological desire (producing children)
5. Free-choice Mate Selection
5.1. Is the result of many marriages, in which individuals are attracted to each other, fall in love, and decide to marry
6. Economic Solutions
6.1. people get married because when they are with someone, they sense financial security
6.2. people with similar background, in this case economic, may be inclined to get married as they feel that they can help one another (Social Homogamy)
6.3. much more common in the pre-industrialization era, individuals would get married and start a family so that their children could get out with the family farm, business, or day to day tasks (*not practiced anymore)
7. Sociocultural Factors
7.1. marriage may not be one's own choice (e.g - arranged marriages)
7.1.1. Arranged Marriages
7.1.1.1. many cultures today still practice the idea of arranged marriages as they believe it is crucial to remain 'pure' before marriage
7.2. many individuals have family expectations upon them to pass on the family lineage by getting married and reproducing
7.3. individuals may get married to pursue a mating relationship to obtain an heir
8. Developmental Theories
8.1. The Family Life-Cycle Framework
8.1.1. it predicts that parents of newborn children will have to adjust to how they relate to each other to allow for their roles as mother and as father to develop
8.1.2. it applies the developmental perspective to the life spans of families
8.1.3. it assumes that families, like individuals, have life spans with predictable stages, marked by normative events (are life events that are typical and based on chronological age) , such as marriage, the birth of a child, or a child leaving home
8.2. Daniel Levinson's Seasons of Life Theory
8.2.1. The first step involves forming a dream and giving it a place in the life structure, for many individuals their dream may be to marry and start a family
8.2.2. The second step involves forming mentor relationships, although many individuals develop relationships with mentors who support their dreams and ficilitate their progress (e.g - spouses)
8.2.3. The final step involves forming love relationships, marriage, and family and this may occur during the age 30 transition as individuals re-evaluate their life before choosing to settle down
9. Romantic Love
9.1. love + commitment are desired by both men and women for marriage
9.2. a desperate need to connect due to the fear of being alone
9.3. Market Experience
9.3.1. dating allows people to learn about the other sex and explore their interests & develop a desire to marry the right partner
9.4. when people become infatuated or obsessed with one another as explained by limerance, they find it right to pursue marriage
9.5. Love Triangle
9.5.1. once individuals find someone they are attracted to, they want to take their relationship to the next level. As explained by the triangle, individuals needs to commit to one another & they may believe that marriage is the best way to do so
10. Theories of Attraction
10.1. Evolution Psychology Theory
10.1.1. specifies that we have grown our sexual attraction to our mates based on our biological urges and senses
10.1.2. men are subconsciously attracted to women with wide hips, who can easily bring healthy children into this world, as well as looking for women with intelligence and temperament to care for children
10.1.3. women would look for a man who is capable to provide for his family
10.1.4. this theory supports that even though our generations have moved past looking for people with these simplistic reasons we still subconsciously look and observe in our potential mates for these characteristics due to the past reasons of getting married
10.2. Social Homogamy Theory
10.2.1. justifies that individuals are attracted to people of similar social backgrounds. This includes; age, race, ethnic, religion, economic and political views
10.2.2. this theory suggests that we are attracted to people who were raised and socialized the same way as us, making both people have the same social backgrounds
10.3. Ideal Mate Theory
10.3.1. is defined by the unconscious image of the ideal mate, formed from our specific preferences of characteristics ("love at first sight")
10.3.2. is justified by the study that proves that everyone has the ideal mate thought up in their minds that they compare everyone with that they find attractive to make the initial judgement if they could be lovable or not
10.4. Fair Exchange Theory
10.4.1. individuals will access what resources they have to offer, and look for the best possible mate. In most societies people must compete with others for what they want
10.4.2. described as the attraction based on reality rather than the fascination of the Ideal Mate Theory
10.4.3. it explains that almost everyone, regardless of how attractive they might be, finds a mate in his/her society because individuals are attracted to different people, so they don’t all search for the same ideal mate.
10.5. Conflict/Feminist Theory
10.5.1. suggests that older men have greater resources, and a younger women will need this for an improved lifestyle, and so generally there is an age difference between couples (may be the motivation for individuals to marry despite various age gaps)
10.6. Sternberg's Love Triangle Theory
10.6.1. the three faces of a relationship are passion, intimacy, and commitment
10.6.2. Passion is the strong feeling of sexual desire, and develops most quickly
10.6.3. Intimacy is an intense friendship as each shares him or herself and meets the others emotional needs (need to be loved) and psychological needs
10.6.4. Commitment maintains the relationship as rewards of this relationship over others is evident and the couple accept reciprocal roles, mutual interdependence
10.7. Bernard Murstein's Attraction Theory
10.7.1. He suggests that dating enables individuals to sift through potential partners with finer and finer filters to select compatible partners and ultimately pick the person they are going to marry