Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Use And Harms Of Pornography, Amber Brewer, Rachel Jamieson, Jill Christine Manning, Rory C. Reid

Forever Families

To say the least, pornography is a controversial and confusing subject. Researchers, politicians, pornography producers, pornography consumers, those acquainted with consumers, and those passively exposed to erotic media (through everyday movies, advertisements, and internet pop-ups) have differing opinions and values toward pornography.

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.

Couples That Play Together Stay Together, Staci Albrechtsen, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

The famous saying "families that play together stay together" could also extend to include "couples that play together stay together." Joint leisure activity and recreation are the fancy names experts use to describe play. In other words, they describe adults having a fun time together. Play is not just for kids. You are never too old to participate in wholesome, fun, recreational activities, and doing so has benefits.

Nurturing Love And Respect In Marriage, Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

The Family: A Proclamation to the World reminds us that we have an obligation to love and serve our marriage partner. To love them effectively, we have to know and understand their inner world—their likes, dislikes, thoughts, and feelings. Taking the time to do this and then acting on what we learn is a powerful way to nurture love and respect in our marriage. Researcher John Gottman1 calls this process enhancing our "love maps."

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.

Creating Shared Meaning, Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Culture is not limited to countries or nations. Even two people who share a life together can create their own culture. They can have customs, traditions, stories, and beliefs that bind them and give meaning to their life together.

Building A Fondness And Admiration System, Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

No one's perfect, including you and the person you're married to. Maybe she squeezes the toothpaste from the middle or he leaves the toilet seat up. Maybe she is bull-headed and he is annoyingly indecisive. Maybe one of you is a workaholic and another spends too much money.

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.

Moving From Gridlock To Dialogue, Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Do you feel hopelessly stuck over a problem that you and your spouse just can't solve? If so, learning to cope with the conflict may seem impossible, and you might fear your relationship is doomed. But don't despair. Many couples learn to deal with their gridlocked problems and build happy, successful relationships.

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 …

Baby Makes Three, Amberlie Lane, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Expecting the first baby is an exciting time for most couples. Most couples understand that having a baby will call for certain sacrifices, but many don’t fully comprehend the challenges their marriage will face once two become three. The Family: A Proclamation to the World states that “husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to care for each other and for their children” (¶ 6). While babies do bring joy and rejoicing, they can be demanding and stressful. In these circumstances, attending to the baby’s needs may take precedence over caring for one’s spouse.

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 …

Staying Connected With Each Other, Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Each of the below mini-scenarios represents a couple connecting in some small way:

• When Russ walks in the door, Carol looks up from her newspaper and says, "How was your day?"
• When Christine and Steven are walking down the grocery aisle he asks, "Aren't we almost out of milk?"
• When Jay peers over Liz's shoulder to see what she's doing, she turns and gives him a quick kiss on the chin.

Nurturing Friendship In Marriage, Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

Good marriages seem rare these days, but a leading marriage expert says it's not complicated—or even necessarily difficult—to make a marriage last. Friendship, says John Gottman1, is at the core of a strong marriage.

Solving Your "Solvable Problems", Megan Northrup, Stephen F. Duncan

Forever Families

According to researcher John Gottman1, marital conflicts fall into just two categories: solvable and perpetual. Perpetual conflicts show up over and over again. They probably will never disappear from your relationship because they come from fundamental differences in personality: She wants to have a baby but he doesn't want children; he hates clutter but she is a pack-rat; she wants a religious home but he is an atheist.