Marriage and family in America
Coontz, Stephanie. The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love. The University of California, 2008
In chapter nine of the text, the author is able to discuss the expressions that make up the bond between a man and a woman in marriage. A brief history on the issue of love among the diverse continents worldwide has provided a much smoother platter for the author to bring out the marriage issue. Looking at the Chinese, French and the general European perspective on the issue of love between a man and woman, very different and somewhat contradicting views and are brought about (Coontz, p.378).
For instance, the Chinese considered the word “love” as an immoral relationship between a man and a woman, which they did not approve of in the society. During the early centuries, the French and European continent in general, made the expression of love come to life through literature, although it was not practically expressed between the husband and wife, but with concubines instead (Coontz, p.380).
The ability of the modern marriages to sustain their bonds for a lifetime has been the main study of the ninth chapter by the author. A past lifetime provided in the text handles the evolution of the expression known as love, its role in marriages and the society in general. Adultery has been existence in the history of marriages in all communities and traditions that exists (Coontz, p.384). However, its role has been praised in a number of communities while in others it has been seriously condemned. The American society has embraced love’s role in marriages and the bonding between a man and a woman (Coontz, p.388).
Noller, P. What is this thing called love? Defining the love that supports marriage and family Personal Relationships, Volume 3, Issue 1, pages 97–115, March 1996. Article published online: 20 MAY 2005.
The main focus of this article was to describe, on the starting point of hypothesizing and research, the love that holds up marriage and the family, or the kind of love that is connected to soaring levels of approval in relationships, to the mental interests of family members and to steady family connections (Noller, p. 101). Literature is also assessed in a way that explores the exciting, cognitive, and behavioral factors of both grown and young love. The three factors are summarized and could be either mature or immature. With consideration to the emotional part, the writer notes that emotions of both infatuation and company are able to carry on all the way through their lives (Noller, p. 107).
Immature love is demonstrated in alike constructs as obsession, love addiction, and passion. Since love is publicly constructed, the writer notes down that it can be powerfully pretentious by the beliefs concerning love that are at hand in the civilization, and that these traditions can be either useful or dysfunctional. Dysfunctional beliefs on the whole comprise of those insisting that love is blind, external, and further from lovers having power over of the feeling. Behaviors features of mature and immature love are similarly explored (Noller, p. 112). It appears that mature love might be preeminently conceptualized as making up an environment where both the lovers and those who rely on them can nurture and develop. This kind of love holds up marriage and family livelihood.
Council on Families. Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation. New York: Council on Families, 1995.
The author of the book emphasizes that there usually exists a divorce revolution in majority of the marriages in the United States. The divorce revolution has been described as the stable displacement of a marriage tradition by a tradition of divorce and unwed paternity. The book explains how the divorce revolution has failed in marriages and the impacts it has had on the economy and social aspects at large (Council on Families, p. 19). The divorce revolution has come up with dreadful hardships for kids, brought upon it unsupportable social expenses, and is also unsuccessful in delivering on its promise of better adult delight. The author solely speaks on the time to change the objective of national awareness from divorce to marriage and to reconstruct a family ethnic based on lasting marital associations.
Creating stronger bonds in marriages in America will call for a basic change in cultural policies and community policy (Council on Families, p. 21). No single sector of society is accountable for the fall of marriage. Everyone plays a part in the problem, and consequently we all ought to be an element of the resolution. We ought to reclaim the model of marital durability and become familiar with that out-of-wedlock childbearing is accountable for the harm of the marriage involved. Our aim for the subsequent generation is supposed to be to add to the proportion of kids who mature with their both married parents and decrease the amount who do not. Possible programs for retaining a marriage tradition are tackled to every major division of society (Council on Families, p. 22).
Greek orthodox diocese of America: department of marriage and family, http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/marriage, retrieved on 21st February, 2010.
On an orthodox point of view, the department of marriage and family has been made to think about problems pertinent to the well-fare of marriage, family existence, the Church and civilization. At the same time as this department is rapidly developing its objective to take in all marital and family confrontations, an important element of the department’s efforts is still related to the intermarriage dispute.
Currently, almost (63%) of all marriage carried out in the GOA are selected inter-Christian. When Greek Orthodox people marrying externally of the GOA are considered as well, intermarriage rates are to be expected nearer to 75 – 80% (Greek orthodox diocese of America: department of marriage and family). Given these and additional alike data, the Archdiocese has selected to show these drifts as a confrontation and a chance for increase. With love in the marriages in the American families, and with a wish to observe Orthodoxy to married couple that visits sermons in the GOA Orthodox Church, the Archdiocese has chosen taken a practical approach in its attempts to extend to intermarried pairs and their families.
Wilcox, W. Center for Marriage and Families. California: Institute for American Values, 2007.
First, religious institutions promote marriage-specific traditions. This aspect has been proven with an example such as the thought that intercourse and childbearing must be preserved for marriage and wider moral traditions, supported by example of the Golden Rule. That support more contented, additional steady marriages. Religious faith donates towards the marital association with an intellect of transcendence (Wilcox, p.3).
The family-based social networks discovered in majority of the beliefs’ congregations give spouses exciting and social maintenance and an assessment of social authority that strengthen their dedication to the marital relationships and assist them in discussing the challenges of marriage life. Fourth, belief also has a non-direct impact on marriage due to religious belief and performance tend to endorse psychological handling in the face of rigorous stresses such as joblessness or the death of the marriage partner (Wilcox, p.3).
Flynn, J. Family and Marriage in America: Notable Differences from Other Countries, http://www.icna.org/family/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&I temid=4, retrieved on 21st February, 2010.
Flynn explains that the issue expressed when it comes to the issue of marriage and love within the American families is that a lot of people at the moment view marriage in an unlike light, approaching it as a confidential relationship centered on the requirements of adults for love and company. This postmodern, affiliation-based approach of marriage has swept the current trends (Flynn, 2010). Consequently, it is uncertain that government encouragement of marriage or alters to well-being policies will be able to construct a substantial effect on the outlines of families.
Certainly an urging that the population will ultimately hold back and take additional time to come up their decisions when the issue of marriage is brought up is also a good counsel. One can just wonder, on the other hand, how much distinction that will create. The actual solution is to alter the cultural and community expectations and principles that familiarize people’s priorities. Accomplishing that kind of alteration of society is certainly a dispute (Flynn, 2010).
Greenfield, S. Love and Marriage in Modern America: A Functional Analysis. Sociological Quarterly: Volume 6, Issue 4, pages 361–377, September 1965. New York: Article first published online: 21 APR 2005
The journal relates the issue of love among the married couples with a brief tale of a young man making up a literature explaining his individual aspect on love. “Tell me, you know, what is this thing, love?”(Greenfield, p. 362). Cherubino, the writer, was still a young teenager and was not familiar with the response, but he accepted it for granted as there was one unfamiliar reaction. So have majority of other people and a lot of of they have attempted to give it a chance, but the largest part noteworthy characteristic concerning all their replies is how methodically they differ.
At times, it appears, they cannot be referring to a similar fact, or even to the family members. With the journal, the author is able to relate to the historical reference and application of the love notion in relationships before and mainly after marriage. The same trends have evolved to the current society and the journal is able to tackle the trends (Greenfield, p. 366).
Work cited:
Coontz, Stephanie. The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love. The University of California, 2008
Council on Families. Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation. New York: Council on Families, 1995.
Flynn, J. Family and Marriage in America: Notable Differences from Other Countries, http://www.icna.org/family/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&I temid=4, retrieved on 21st February, 2010.
Greek orthodox diocese of America: department of marriage and family, http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/marriage, retrieved on 21st February, 2010.
Greenfield, S. Love and Marriage in Modern America: A Functional Analysis. Sociological Quarterly: Volume 6, Issue 4, pages 361–377, September 1965. New York: Article first published online: 21 APR 2005
Noller, P. What is this thing called love? Defining the love that supports marriage and family Personal Relationships, Volume 3, Issue 1, pages 97–115, March 1996. Article published online: 20 MAY 2005.
Wilcox, W. Center for Marriage and Families. California: Institute for American Values, 2007.
