DATING & MARRIAGE
DATING
 Romance in Adolescence
 Dexter Dunphy described the sequence of male-female relationships:
1.Groups of friends
2.A loose association of girls and boys within a crowd
3.Small mixed-sex groups of the advanced members of the crowd
4.Formation of couples with private intimacy
 Though it is described, its physiological maturation that governs this
sequence.
DATING
 Same-sex Romance
 Sexual orientation: the direction of a person’s erotic desires; refers to
whether a person is romantically attracted to people of the other sex, same
sex or both.
 Its unknown how many adolescence are romantically oriented to people of
their own sex. Reasons:
• sexual orientation can be strong or weak
• can be acted upon or secretive
• can be unconscious
 Many gay youth date the other sex to hide their orientation.
MARRIAGE
• Adults thrive if another person is committed to their well-being.
• Children benefit when they have two parents who are legally as well as
emotionally dedicated to them; societies are stronger if individuals sort
themselves into families.
• Generally, married people are a little happier, healthier, and richer than
never-married ones- but not by much.
• Living apart together (LAT): when couples have a relationship but decide to
live at separate addresses.
• Domestic violence is more likely in the first years of a relationship.
MARRIAGE
Interval After Wedding
Characterization
First 6 months
Honeymoon period-happiest of all
6 months to 5 years
Happiness dips; divorce is more common now than later in
marriage
5 to 10 years
Happiness holds steady
10 to 20 years
Happiness dips as children reach puberty
20 to 30 years
Happiness rises when children leave the nest
30 to 50 years
Happiness is high and steady, barring serious health
problems.
MARRIAGE
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Robert Sternberg taught that love has 3 parts:
Passion
Intimacy
Commitment
 Passion is usually first , then shared confidence creates intimacy, and finally
commitment leads to an enduring relationship. When all three are evident,
that is consummate love-an ideal sometimes, but not always, attained in
marriage.
PARTNERS
 ○ Gay and lesbian partnerships, same sex couples and marriages
 ○ Almost all of the same aspects as a “traditional” marriage
 ○ Political and cultural views on same sex couples and marriages are
changing with time
 Unmarried-Partner Households in the United States, 2000, 2006, 2010

2000
2006
2010
Male-Female
Male-Male
Female-Female
Total Same-Sex
4,881,377
301,026
293,365
594,391
5,237,595
417,044
362,823
779,867
6,174,759
287,687
305,637
593,324
DIVORCE & SEPARATION
 ○ All relationships are affected by time and different circumstances
 ○ Divorce happens when at least one of the two people in the couple decides
that they would be happier unmarried
 ○ There are factors that can make divorce or separation more likely, both
before and during the marriage
 ♦ Divorced parents
 ♦ Previous divorce of either partner
 ♦ Financial stress
 ♦ Multiple kinds of abuse
 ♦ Etc.
REPARTNERING
 ○ Sometimes, severed couples will attempt to establish friendships or
continue to date
 ○ These couples oftentimes remarry
 ○ Remarriage can restore intimacy, health, and financial security for a
couple, but does not guarantee happiness
 ○ Remarrying can bring new happiness, and new problems