Author discusses his own traditional marriage and family life, then looks at the pluralism in family types in present day America. Concludes that most young adults in the future will try to maintain a permanent first marriage and, if unsuccessful, will try even harder to have a successful second marriage. (NB)

Analyzed the relationship between the participation of married women in the labor market and divorce rates in the continental states of the United States in 1980. Results showed the higher the proportion of married women working full time and the lower the proportion of married women working part time, the higher the divorce rate of the state.…

Used data from probability sample of 10,472 ever-married Canadians to examine effects of premarital cohabitation on later marital stability. Results suggest that premarital cohabitation has a positive effect on staying married. Positive effect remained when length of marriage and age at marriage were controlled. (Author/NB)

Used the 1980 Current Population Survey to highlight differentials in life-course events of American women born during the first half of the 20th century. Results indicated blacks have greater variation than whites around nearly all life-course events studied, but the overall level of variation among both blacks and whites has been declining…

Conceptualizes intimate experience within a developmental, or epigenetic, framework of relational systems, views it from an evolutionary and historical perspective, and considers it in the light of hypotheses about gender differences. (Author/ABB)

Views treatment of sexual addiction within context of addiction and family therapy. Presents a case of sexual addiction and explicates an intervention model which emphasizes the importance of family participation in the treatment. (Author/NB)

Explores both positive and negative competition within premarital relationships using a typology of competitive behaviors. Findings compare competitive activities of men and women in serious mate-choice oriented relationships. Implications for both courtship and marital relationships are offered. (Author/BL)

Presents a theoretical model that focuses attention on the multiple arenas of life that are disrupted by divorce, the emotional stages of divorce, and the interpersonal dynamics of separating couples. Discusses the implications of these factors for strategically planning and carrying out the mediation process. (Author/ABB)

Examined extent to which couples who marry cohabit prior to marriage. Data indicate premarital cohabitation in Lane County, Oregon, increased from 13 percent to 53 percent during the decade. Trends and differentials for demographic subgroups are compared to national estimates. Findings suggest premarital cohabitation may be a new normative step…

This article provides a critical discussion of John Hunter's book, "Thinking about Sex and Love". The author feels the method used and conclusions arrived at are seriously flawed. (MT)

Assessed titles of 225 editions of marriage and family textbooks from 1887-1980 in order to identify thematic trends during the history of textbook production in the field. Several different types of books emerged from a correlation analysis of semantic structure. Implications of the findings for educators are discussed. (Author)

Tested the reliability and validity of the Marital Status Inventory (MSI), a measure of divorce potential (N=241 couples). Compound probability for five clinical sites supported the contention that, overall, wives' are more distressed than their husbands. The MSI was also able to identify couples who later divorced. (JAC)

Investigated relationship between courtship violence and later spouse abuse in 82 women clients at domestic violence shelters. Examination of histories with regard to physical violence during childhood, courtship, and marriage demonstrated remarkable similarity between courtship and marital violence. Relationship violence rather than courtship or…

Describes a marital enhancement tool, the Memory Board, that encourages spouses to recall positive memories of their married life. (Author)

Describes the Waring Intimacy Questionnaire (WIQ) a 90-item, true-false questionnaire developed to measure the quantity and quality of marital intimacy. Eight facets of intimacy are measured: affection, cohesion, conflict resolution, compatability, expressiveness, sexuality, autonomy, and identity. Reliability and validity data are presented. (JAC)