Description
Book SynopsisFrom their location in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, the Weisfelds' lab has reached out for thirty years to couples in long-term partnerships around the world. In living rooms in Detroit, London, Moscow, Beijing, and beyond, couples of all types and ages have shared their perspectives into adult romantic relationships. The Psychology of Marriage: An Evolutionary and Cross-Cultural View is a distillation of these findings, which have appeared in dozens of book chapters, journal articles, and conference presentations. This book provides new systematic comparisons that offer insights into the mysteries of marriage and other committed relationships. Scholars, professional counselors, and family therapists will find a helpful framework in the text for thinking about cultural similarities and differences in marital dynamics. Researchers will be introduced to a robust new instrument, the Marriage and Relationship Questionnaire (MARQ), which can be used in heterosexual and same-sex couples i
Trade ReviewThe Psychology of Marriage is a valuable addition to our field. It sheds light on both the culturally specific and the universal, generally adaptive properties of marriage. In their preface, the Editors write “This research has been conducted without any major grants” (p. x). The book demonstrates that much can be accomplished simply with persistence, an intellectual framework and a dedicated group of researchers. The book is an admirable step forward in articulating an evolutionary, multicultural perspective on marriage. [Reviewed by Daniel Perlman] * Journal of Family Theory & Review *
The Psychology of Marriage is an essential read for anyone interested in the factors shaping marital life cross-culturally as well as the methodology and challenges of research in this area. Extremely useful for psychology students and practitioners. Carol and Glenn Weisfeld and Lisa M. Dillon have pulled together a variety of authors that point out the cross-cultural similarities and differences in marriage as well as the challenges of studying the practice, including the importance of couples research. -- Catherine Salmon, University of Redlands
The Psychology of Marriage is a superb book that highlights the ins and outs of marriage; the causes of marital happiness and discord; and both the differences and similarities of different cultural groups ranging from Russia to Brazil. It is unique in brining both evolutionary and cultural lenses to focus on our most cherished and heart-rending relationships—two perspectives indispensable for understanding the ties that bind. Each chapter contains many jewels of their research findings. Collectively, the chapters in the book make it a magnificent milestone in the science of marriage. -- David M. Buss, The University of Texas at Austin
Table of ContentsPart I. Methodological Questions Chapter 1: The Mysteries of Marriage: Its Function, Evolution, and Development, Glenn E. Weisfeld and Carol Cronin Weisfeld Chapter 2: Getting Started: The Construction, Properties, and Applications of the MARQ, Carol Cronin Weisfeld, Ellen Fedon-Keyt, Michael J. R. James, Samantha Lewis, and Emilia D. Shinne Chapter 3: Getting It Right: Why Invariance Testing with Respect to Gender and Culture Is Important, Craig A. Wendorf and Todd Lucas Chapter 4: Looking at Dyads: A Primer on Actor-Partner Analysis in Marriage Research, Keith M. Welker and Richard B. Slatcher Part II. Marriage in Various Cultures around the World Chapter 5: Are Culture, Sex Differences, Similarity, and Personality Important in Marriage? Evidence from Great Britain and Elsewhere,Glenn E. Weisfeld Chapter 6: Cultural and Self-Related Considerations in Relationship: Well-Being With Particular Reference to Marriage in Turkey, E. Olcay Imamoğlu and Emre Selcuk Chapter 7: The Changing Family in China, Jiawen Wang and Carol Cronin Weisfeld Chapter 8: The Changing Family in Russia, Marina L. Butovskaya and Zhanna Rozenberg Chapter 9: Marriage in Brazil Preliminary Findings Using the MARQ, Keila Rebello, Kraig S. Shattuck, Mauro Silva, Jr., and Regina Sousa Brito Chapter 10: The American Family in the 21st Century: Some Things are Changing, Some Not, Carol Cronin Weisfeld, Annamaria Silveri, and Ellen Fedon-Keyt Chapter 11: From Machismo to Caballerismo: Mate Guarding Tactics in Latino Men, Yobany Pardo Chapter 12: African-American Married Couples, Cheryl C. Munday, Koyonne R. Mims, Ahmar Zaman, and Bruce Howard Chapter 13: Love Is Love: Same-sex Couples, Lisa M. Dillon Part III. Cross-Cultural Patterns in Aspects of Marriage Chapter 14: Beyond the Honeymoon: Physical Attraction and Its Role throughout Marriage, Annamaria Silveri and Maria Faustina Samayoa Chapter 15: God Help Us: Spirituality and Religiosity in Marriage, Margaret Stack and Carrie A. F. Nantais Chapter 16: Humor in Marriage, Glenn E. Weisfeld Chapter 17: Sex and Infidelity, Lisa M. Dillon, Nicole T. Nowak and Glenn E. Weisfeld Chapter 18: Sources of Conflict in Marriage, Tara DeLecce Part IV. Conclusions and Future Directions Chapter 19: Cross-cultural Social/Behavioral Research: Ethical Principles and Review Processes, Kelly O’Keefe, Ian J. Moore, and Elizabeth M. Hill Chapter 20: Causes of Marital Conflict: Reflections from a Clinician, Margaret Stack Chapter 21: Towards a Model of Marriage, Glenn E. Weisfeld, Carol Cronin Weisfeld, and Stefan M. M. Goetz
