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Strengthening Later Life Marriage, Mary A. Sotsich, Rick B. Miller

Forever Families

A marriage that lasts through the years brings couples a sense of accomplishment, security, and comfort. Sometimes, though, security and comfort can make it easy to fall into the "old shoe syndrome," where married life becomes dull and partners take one another for granted. Treating a lasting marriage with the appreciation it deserves might be compared to seeing old, worn shoes as "plush suede" or "buttery-soft leather." Just as a proud owner of such shoes would never slosh them through a mud puddle but would carefully protect them, so should long-married couples give their partnership the deep regard it deserves.

Making The Case For Marriage, Jennifer Crockett, Marissa Beebe, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

In a recent report from the National Marriage Project, scholars David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead wrote, "Marriage is a fundamental social institution. It is central to the nurture and raising of children. It is the ‘social glue’ that reliably attaches fathers to children. It contributes to the physical, emotional and economic health of men, women and children, and thus to the nation as a whole. It is also one of the most highly prized of all human relationships and a central life goal of most Americans."

Strengthening Marriage Through Marriage Enrichment Programs, Bradley Owens, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

The Family: A Proclamation to the World states that marriage partners have "a solemn obligation to love and care for each other" (¶ 6). This love and care requires intentional effort. One way to make this effort is through marriage enrichment programs.

Increasing Intimacy In Marriage, Derek Willis Hagey, Amber L. Brewer, Rachel V. Jamieson, Robert F. Stahmann, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Intimacy is the closeness of your relationship with your spouse -- emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, sexually, and in many other ways. Intimacy is not an end goal but rather a journey that lasts throughout your marriage. Marriage and family researchers Schaefer and Olson4 describe attaining intimacy as "a process that occurs over time and is never completed or fully accomplished" (p. 50). As you both grow and develop, each of you changes. If you neglect intimacy in your marriage, you will grow apart. The time to work on intimacy is now.

Strengthening Your Relationship With Regular "Couple Meetings", Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Our country is more health-conscious than ever. Millions seek out a variety of health assessments, ranging from simple blood pressure checks to a thorough analysis of blood chemistry. The result: America's health is better than ever.

Handling Conflict In Marriage, Trampas J. Rowden, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Disagreements and arguments crop up in even the best marriages. It's how conflict is handled that is an important key to marital success or failure.

Current research confirms that poorly handled conflict between married couples can negatively influence mental, physical, and family health. Feelings of anger, bitterness, and unhappiness (sometimes leading to separation and divorce) often result.

But couples need not settle for these experiences. Partners can realize, as stated in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, that "marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God" (¶ 1) and that successful and happy marriages "are established …

Immunized Against Infidelity: "Affair-Proofing" Your Marriage, Megan Northrup, Robert F. Stahmann, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

The Family: A Proclamation to the World emphasizes the sacredness of marriage and declares that men and women should "honor marital vows with complete fidelity" (¶ 7). The importance of fidelity and God's disapproval of adultery have been emphasized throughout the Judeo-Christian scriptural tradition.

Coping With The Chronic Illness Of A Spouse, Shelece Mcallister, Susanne Olsen Roper, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Sometimes couples are faced with problems they do not anticipate. One such issue is that of chronic illness. A chronic illness is a medical condition that lasts for a long time, sometimes for the rest of someone's life. Chronic illnesses include conditions like diabetes, arthritis, and cancer, among many others. Chronic illnesses may appear quickly or gradually, and they are often unexpected. As a couple, be informed about the illness you are facing. Seek out information from your doctor and from reputable medical websites. Organizations may exist to help those with your spouse's chronic illness. Learning about the condition will …

Everyday Marriage, Rachel Loser, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Everyday marriage is what most marriages are used to. As couples learn to love everyday marriage, they will find their marriage satisfying, renewing, and nourishing.

Helpful Resources For Pornography Addictions And Other Problematic Sexual Behaviors, Jill Christine Manning

Forever Families

This workbook is acompanion to In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior (2001). The book is well-laid out and has a professional tone throughout. The approach is holistic in that it takes into consideration one's stage of change, level of self-awareness, relapse prevention, triggers, psychological defenses, relationship patterns and lifestyle factors. The workbook also goes into quite a bit of detail as to why sexual behavior online is problematic.

Benefits Of Couple Prayer, Andrew S. Brimhall, Mark Butler

Forever Families

Prayer can be defined as a two-way personal communication between an individual or couple and God. It is a vibrant, vital link with a Supreme Being that gives meaning to a person's life. Prayer allows individuals, couples, and families to come closer to God through healing. Prayer can be meditative (silent), colloquial (asking for abstract things like guidance or forgiveness), petitionary (asking for materialistic things), or ritual (memorized or read from a book). While it can be all of these things, it can also enrich the quality of marriage and family life. In fact, The Family: A Proclamation to the …

Full Journal 13_2, Intuition Journal

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Exploring Agentic Treatments For Anxiety And Depression, Tyler H. White

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Agency and mental illness are hypothesized to be related. Agency may contribute to mental illness (specifically, anxiety and depression) by impacting the amount of choices in one’s life (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011; Schwartz, 2004). Effective treatment for the mentally ill targets causes of mental disorders, so if agency is related to mental illnesses, then it logically should be incorporated in treatment. Agentic treatment, which consists of any form of treatment that explicitly acknowledges the importance and the reality of agency, has been shown to be effective (Myers, 2016; Patterson et al., 2016; Slife, 2004). Effective agentic treatment includes autonomy groups …

Cultural Influences On Regulating Emotion, Gyuyi Kang

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Emotional regulation is an important aspect of our social lives that can build or weaken relationships. Regulating emotion is influenced by many factors and culture is one of many important factors that has a striking influence on how people regulate their emotion. The world can be divided into two major cultures: independent and interdependent culture. Most Western countries show characteristics of independent culture while most Eastern countries show the characteristics of interdependent culture. Depending on what culture we are from, we will exhibit differences in emotion regulation on, behavior, and emotional coping strategies. Thus, understanding cultural differences is especially crucial …

Treating Comorbid Ptsd And Bpd: A Dialectical Approach, Meredith Pescatello

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

According to the Biosocial Developmental Model for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), individuals with a biological vulnerability (i.e., heightened emotional sensitivity and impulsive tendencies), plus an invalidating environment may develop BPD (Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehan, 2009). Individuals with BPD are especially difficult to treat, because of their “extreme emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysregulation” (Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehan, 2009). Though challenging to treat, BPD can be successfully treated using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (Linehan, 1993; Linehan 2015). Similarly, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is complex and often burnout inducing to treat, because of the intensity of the emotional content related to traumatic events …

Healthy Habits To Reduce Sleep Deprivation In College Students, Jenna L. Bair

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Abstract

Sleep can affect many regular functions in the body. Consequently, the physiological and psychological effects of sleep deprivation have many ramifications, including long-term health issues, depression, and eating disorders (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007; Beiter et al., 2015; Jarcho, Slavich, Tylova-Stein, Wolkowitz, & Burke, 2013; Ozsoy, Besirli, Unal, Abdulrezzak, & Orhan, 2015). Despite the importance of sleep for regulative processes, studies indicate that the general population does not receive adequate sleep quality or length (Watson et al., 2017). College students represent a large demographic and often do not obtain enough sleep (Gaultney, 2010). Thus, it is proposed that collegiate institutions …

The Cognitive Effects Of Late Bilingualism On Executive Functions: Lifelong Benefits, Rachel Casper

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Late bilinguals, those who learn a language past the critical period, are often thought to not receive much benefits from their language learning in comparison to their early bilingual counterparts. A large of body of recent research suggests otherwise. Late bilinguals receive the same cognitive benefits as early bilinguals; these benefits are in higher levels of executive functions, specifically in inhibitory control and attentional switching. Higher levels of executive functions assist learners in improving their mental processing and cognitive health over the course of their lifetime. Aging bilinguals have greater cognitive health due to more white and gray matter density. …

Dream Interpretation: The Next Frontier Of Psychoanalysis, Samuel Skidmore

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

An examination of the history of dream interpretation reveals its significant role within psychotherapy, drawing upon religious texts, ancient philosophers, and modern uses. Many prominent psychologists such as Freud and Jung contributed to our knowledge of dreams and how they can be interpreted. The problems clinicians face today is that most methods for analyzing dreams are scattered and contrary. Several specific theories, from Freudian theory to the Hill Cognitive-Experiential Model of dream interpretation, are discussed and analyzed. Research has slowed on this topic due to methodological problems and diverse interpretations of dream content. Subsequently, the potential benefits of using dream …

Why Is Mom So Blue? Postpartum Depression In A Family Context, Amy Scoville, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Elizabeth just couldn't understand herself. She had waited for this her whole life. When she was little, she had a whole nursery set up for her "baby" (a doll she had been given by her grandmother), and she would spend hours taking care of her. She loved to change her clothes, give her a bath, rock her to sleep, and do every other thing mommies do with their babies. She would dream of the day she could do those things with her own, real-life baby. So now that she could, why was it so hard? Why wasn't she finding any …

Recognizing And Dealing With Childhood Depression, Amy Soto, Jared Warren, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

It is normal for children to experience moments of sadness and discouragement. However, sometimes children will experience prolonged feelings of sadness, anxiety, and hopelessness which may interrupt normal interest in ordinary, everyday activities such as going to school, playing, sleeping, and eating. Research shows that about 5% of children and 10% to 20% of adolescents experience significant depression.15

Moving Ahead After Divorce As An Adult, Sarah Taylor, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Divorce can affect every aspect of a person's life, which can make the period of adjustment that follows very painful and overwhelming. This article discusses how individuals can take a positive approach to adjustment and provides practical ideas on how to heal from the pain and move on after divorce.

Coping With Grief In Perinatal Loss, Taelynn Johnson, Lynn Callister, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and change. There is so much to look forward to when anticipating a new life. For this reason, the loss of a pregnancy is often heartbreaking, especially for the infant’s parents. In this article, we hope to provide important information to help you understand perinatal loss, as well as helpful sources to lead you towards healing during this most difficult time.

Caring For An Aging Family Member, Matthew G. Mellinger, Richard B. Miller, Jeremy Yorgason, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

As research has given us advances in health care, people in most parts of the world are living longer than ever. Although most people value long life, difficult challenges await older men and women who develop disabling conditions and those who care for them.

Young, Pregnant, And Unmarried, Sarah A. Smith, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Remember when having cool friends and deciding what to wear were the most serious issues you faced? Since you found out you're expecting a baby, everything else seems trivial. You have so many more serious things to think about now -- and so many decisions to make. You might be feeling fear, anger, or guilt. The pregnancy might still be a secret or something you don't yet want to admit even to yourself.

Helping Unwed Parents, Sarah A. Smith, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Unwed parents who are very young face a daunting crisis. They have many urgent decisions to make, and they must prepare for continuing struggles in all areas of their lives (p. 74)7 (p. 24)10. They need the help and support of others more than at any other time of their lives. Family members, close friends, professionals, and agencies can provide this support best if they're able to resist becoming overbearing or taking control (p. 22).2

Balancing Family And Work, Rebekah Olsen, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

With only 24 hours in a day, life can seem like a complicated juggling act. Most of us have more balls in the air than we can handle. We drop a ball from time to time – or even many balls, depending on how balanced or unbalanced our life is. But some of the balls are more important than others. Dropping the important ones can be disastrous while dropping the less important ones might not matter at all. The trick is to know which is which.

Affirming And Supporting The Sanctity Of Life, Vjollca Kadi Martinson, Andrew Robert Tegeder, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Life is a sacred gift from God. The Family: A Proclamation to the World affirms the sanctity of human life and its importance in God's plan for the happiness of his children

One of the ways we deepen our reverence for human life and for the Creator is by guarding life from the moment of conception. Unfortunately, innocent human life is often not cherished but is destroyed. This is the tragedy of abortion.

Making Meaning Of Death, Jaelynn R. Jenkins, Susanne Olson Roper, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Death is a universal transition that knocks on every family's door. It is perhaps the most stressful event family members will face, depriving them of an irreplaceable person that they love.

Making Prayer Happen At Home, Andrew S. Brimhall, Mark H. Butler, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Prayer has great benefits at home. The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches that successful marriages and families are handled with prayer. According to research, couples report that prayer brings them closer to God and helps them reduce their anger. They also say they are able to change their perspective and receive divine instructions through prayer. Many couples rely on prayer when addressing marital problems, and they report its helpfulness in dealing with conflict, increasing positive interactions, reducing verbal aggression, and improving overall marital health. However, in order to succeed, prayer needs to be more than a routine. Meaningful …

Forgiveness In Families, Trampas J. Rowden, Sean D. Davis, James M. Harper, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

None of us "does" family perfectly. We sometimes say and do things that offend loved ones. All of us are guilty of "sins" of commission or omission toward those we care about. Forgiveness is an essential part of strong, healthy relationships.