A marriage is the creation of a new family by bringing together two distinct people from individual and very distinctly different backgrounds. The bringing together of two different people often can cause conflict. Merging families can also create a harmonious relationship of balance and teamwork if both of their differences and similarities compliment each other. After conducting an interview with Darlene and Mike Smith it became very evident that theirs was a seemingly balanced and harmonious relationship. The interview asked questions about how things like their backgrounds, challenges together, boundaries, family interactions, and spirituality have developed into a family and marriage relationship that successfully navigates through life together.
Background
The Process of the Interview
The couple walked into the interview with a very happy demeanor, which seemed to set the tone for the remainder of our conversation. Their happiness clearly showed by sitting very close to each other on the couch with their arms around each other. Mike shared jokingly that he felt like he was in a shrink’s office because of the blue couch. His lightheartedness helped keep things comfortable. The interview began by asking them some detailed background information about their individual family upbringing and experiences. Out of respect to their time constraints they were each given a printed out a copy of the interview schedule and asked to spend a few minutes answering the individual background questions. Portions of the background questions were retrieved from “Life Review Interview Questions (Lewis and Massing 2000). They then shared what they deemed relevant from their answers. After some discussion about background section, the interview...
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...limentary individuals. Having clearly defined family boundaries, complimenting each other’s strengths and weaknesses, while being guided by and supported in Christian faith, they continue to navigate through life together.
Works Cited
Bradbury, T., Engl, J., Hahlweg, K., Rogge, D., & Thurmaier F. (2006) Predicting Marital
Distress and Dissolution: Refining the Two-Factor Hypothesis. Journal of Family
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Keller, James F. Prest, Layne A., (1993) Spirituality and Family Therapy: Spiritual Beliefs, ` Myths, and Metaphors. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Vol. 19 No. 2,137-148.
Lewis R. Massing P. (2000). Life Review Interview Questions, Learning Place Online.com
O’Brien, M. Peyton, V. (2002). Parenting Attitudes and Marital Intimacy: A Longitudinal Analysis. Journal of Family Psychology Vol. 16 No. 2, 118-127.
McClish, Mark. “Susan Smith” http://www.statementanalysis.com/susan-smith/ Advanced Interviewing Concepts. May 6, 2002. Web, Feb. 7, 2012
DeVault, C., Cohen, T., & Strong, B. (2011). The marriage and family experience: Intimate relationships in a changing society. (11th ed., pgs. 400-426). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth cengage learning.
Having a family is no easy task, especially when you are faced with many challenges that are unforeseen. Sometimes one imagines or hopes for an ideal family. The ideal family would consist of a spouse, one or two kids and live happily with little to no conflicts. The reality is that even if one tries to avoid conflict by all possible means, conflict is inevitable. Stressors and strengths within a family can be seen in almost every situation. Although stressors tend to be more noticeable than the strengths. Some of which will be discussed later on, although it will be mainly focused on the strength and stressors faced after a divorce for children. But if one focuses on the stressors more than the strengths, one will only see stressors rather than solutions.
Marriage is a commitment that couples vow to love each other, and committed during their toughest times. Chris Offutt, the author of the short story called "Aunt Granny Lith" explains the trials and choices in a marriage between the couple Beth and Casey. Three parts in marriage are vital: communication, trust in one another, and unconditional love. All three elements will lead to a successful marriage. Marriage is what you put into your relationship not what you can get out of it. It is a team effort. Couples shouldn 't give 50/50 they should give 100/100 effort into marriage. Offutt describes these three parts throughout the story.
Marriage is a union to built a family with children, and supportive work. "Alternatives to marriage have continued to multiply at the turn of the millennium, not just for companionship and sexual relationships, but even as a vehicle for raising children"(Coontz 12). Families are being separated because sometimes young age adults think they are ready for marriage and it ends up in divorce that also cause future problems with the ex couple even more if they already have a child. The family member most damaged is the child. "Marriage also continues to be important f...
" Family Relations 52.4 (2003): 363-72. Print. Hanson, Richard R. "Optimizing Marital Success: The Conscious Couple Uniting Process. "
Martha and Richard Korneisel have been marriage mentors for three years through both Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and Nazareth Lutheran Church. Together they guide engaged couples through conflict scenarios and future-planning discussions, stressing concepts such as communication, patience and understanding. The church views marriage as a permanent bond of unconditional love, so much so that the Bible even speaks of man and woman becoming one body when they are united in marriage.
According to recent statistics, there are more divorces now than ever before. At the rate things are going, the divorce rate may soon surpass the marriage rate. There are many reasons for such a high divorce rate, but one of the main ones is that people do not realize what they are getting themselves into when they marry. Couples do not realize that marriage is a job that must be worked at continuously in order for it to go well. Because many couples marry for the wrong reasons, a breakdown in communication results, which leads to a couple's growing apart. This process, all too often, ends in divorce.
Richardson, R. W. (2005). Bowen Family Systems Theory and congregational life. Review & Expositor, 102(3), 379-402.
Lamanna, M. A., & Riedmann, A. (2012). Marriages, Families, and Relationships. (11 ed., p. 36).
I interviewed a fifty-five year old female named Theresa Geis. She is married to Robert Geis and they have four daughters including me. They reside in Denver, Colorado with one daughter still in the house. Theresa graduated with a master’s degree in teaching with a focus in special education. She grew up in Greeley, CO but enjoys Denver and where she is currently at. Theresa and Robert have had the same house in Denver for twenty-one years now and have recently bought a cabin in Estes Park which is on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Works Cited Kunz, Jenifer. Think Marriages & Families. Boston: Pearson, 2011. http://www.prs Print. The. Laquer, Estin, Ann.
Life story interview/ project was design for you to get to know a random stranger or a close friends. You would asked general questions about the person life, school, work and family, therefore many will open up to you but a lot of people would not. Before you did the interview you had taken a NIH certification make sure you understand how to do the interview. You had recorded it, transmitted it, coded it and then present it to the class. Once everything was done you learned something new about this person or you may look at their cultural a different way.
The study I am conducting is a phenomenological study. Thus, when I interviewed my participant this weekend, I couldn’t help, but be a little worried I was not staying true to the phenomenological approach. My participant had a hard time being sequential, and organized in his interview. At times I had to ask clarifying questions instead of staying quiet like I should have. Therefore, when I read page eighty- one I am a little confused about telling the participants the two broad and general questions that were asked in the reading. Are we allowed to ask these during the interview or are these the question you asked us to ask in the separate interviews? The reason I ask is because even though these two questions seem b...
Marriage is that special bond that binds two souls together. It is the traditional building block of human society , intended to unite couples. Choosing a husband or wife is one of the most important decisions in the life of a person because a marriage can completely change the life of a person. Like all things, the institution of marriage has evolved too. It took its first shape at a time when religion and superstition reigned supreme. Whatever its origins, marriage has come to