Nilesh Patel
ENGLISH 300
To have a successful and lasting marriage, the individuals involved must lay a foundation consisting of key components to make it last. A format and set of rules must be followed or established in order to make it a success. Sadly, today, because of the current high divorce rate, which is about 50%, couples constantly face marriage problems and marriage issues constantly arise. In unhappy couples the main focus is mainly on reciprocating negatively, in which a positive end-result is hard to procure. While on the other end of the spectrum, in happy couples, the main focus is to progress and to incorporate benchmarks to grow more as one. It’s the emotional feelings invested that will generate a positive outcome if a proper foundation of components is laid out from the beginning. The main focus throughout this paper will be to discuss how a successful marriage is achieved and the key components needed to achieve such a task.
Marriage over the centuries has evolved from culture to culture, land to land, but for the most part, the main roots of marriage have never changed. No matter what race, religion, or sex, marriage must have a stable foundation in order to last. What defines a successful lasting marriage? Is it love? Love is such a powerful word and can be viewed in so many ways and is usually defined by actions and/or emotions. Love can be viewed as the ultimate component of a successful marriage, but because of the inconsistent definitions and cloudy interpretations, it must be further defined and broken down into components. Therefore, love can be seen as a big building block of key components, which all lead to the ultimate goal of a successful relationship and a lasting marriage. Though there are many components and is debatable which work and which do not, what are some that one should have to invest in to achieve such an endeavor? By reading along further, there will be a
Cited: 1. Montgomery, Barbara M. The Form and Function of Quality Communication in Marriage. Volume 30, No. 1. National Council on Family Relations. 1981. 2. www.Saddleback.com. Todd. Empathy: The Key to a Healthy Marriage. April 4, 2011. http://saddleback.com/blogs/lakeforestcouples/empathy-the-key-to-a-healthy-marriage/ 3. Swensen, Clifford H. Commitment and the Long-Term Marriage Relationship. National Council on Family Relations. November 1985.