1. Marriage in Society and Individual Context Key Terms
Chapter 9
Marriage in Society and Individual Context
Key Terms

2. Marriage Debate Some scholars see marriage as in decline, others as dynamic, changing, and resilient.
Deinstitutionalization of marriage Refers to the weakening of the social norms that define people’s behavior in marriage.

3. Individualized marriage In individualized marriage, individual self-fulfillment and personal growth are the objectives people seek through marriage.
Companionate marriage Marriage held together by love and friendship between spouses, not social obligations; characterized by egalitarian as opposed to the earlier patriarchal ideals for marriage; and allowing spouses to focus on self-development and expression.

4. Conjugal model of legal marriage Has at its core a view of marriage defined as “child centered,” because it stresses the importance of “sustaining enduring bonds between women and men in order to give a baby its mother and father, to bond them to one another and to a baby”.
Close relationship model of legal marriage Sees marriage as one in a universe of diverse close, private relationships, with intrinsic emotional, psychological, and sexual dimensions.

5. Duration-of-marriage effect Accumulation over time of various factors such as unresolved conflicts, poor communication, grievances, role overload, heavy work schedules, and childrearing responsibilities that might cause marital disenchantment.
Identity bargaining The interactional process of role adjustment.

6. Boomerang generation Adult children who delay moving out of their family home or move back in after a temporary or lengthy absence.
intermittent extended family A family that cares for younger or older relatives in need or crisis: It helps daughters who are single mothers; a sick parent, aunt, or uncle; or an unemployed cousin. When the crisis passes, the dependent adult leaves, and the family resumes its usual structure.

7. Sandwich generation Middle-aged (or older) individuals who are sandwiched between the simultaneous responsibilities of caring for both their dependent children and their aging parents.
Conflict-habituated marriage Relationships in which tension, arguing, and conflict permeate the relationship.

8. Passive-congenial marriages Relationships that begin without the emotional “spark” or intensity contained in our romantic idealizations of marriage.
Devitalized marriages Begin with high levels of emotional intensity that over time has dwindled.

9. Vital marriages Appeal more to our romantic notions of marriage because they begin and continue with high levels of emotional intensity.
Total marriages Relationships in which characteristics of vital relationships are present and multiplied.