The Psychology of Marriage

An Evolutionary and Cross-Cultural View

Contributions by Carol Cronin Weisfeld, Glenn E. Weisfeld, Lisa M. Dillon, Regina Sousa Brito, Marina L. Butovskaya, Tara DeLecce, Ellen Fedon-Keyt, Stefan M. M. Goetz, Michael J. R. James, Elizabeth M. Hill, Bruce Howard, E. Olcay Imamoglu, Samantha Lewis, Todd Lucas, Koyonne R. Mims, Ian J. Moore, Cheryl C. Munday, Carrie A. F. Nantais, Nicole T. Nowak, Kelly OKeefe, Yobany Pardo, Zhanna Rozenberg, Keila Rebello, Maria Faustina Samayoa, Emre Selcuk, Kraig S. Shattuck, Emilia D. Shinne, Mauro Silva, Annamaria Silveri, Richard B. Slatcher, Margaret Stack, Jiawen Wang, Keith M. Welker, Craig A. Wendorf, Ahmar Zaman Edited by Carol Cronin Weisfeld, Glenn E. Weisfeld, Lisa M. Dillon

Publication date:

17 November 2017

Length of book:

386 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

236x159mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781498541244

From their location in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, the Weisfelds’ lab has reached out for thirty years to couples in long-term partnerships around the world. In living rooms in Detroit, London, Moscow, Beijing, and beyond, couples of all types and ages have shared their perspectives into adult romantic relationships. The Psychology of Marriage: An Evolutionary and Cross-Cultural View is a distillation of these findings, which have appeared in dozens of book chapters, journal articles, and conference presentations. This book provides new systematic comparisons that offer insights into the mysteries of marriage and other committed relationships. Scholars, professional counselors, and family therapists will find a helpful framework in the text for thinking about cultural similarities and differences in marital dynamics. Researchers will be introduced to a robust new instrument, the Marriage and Relationship Questionnaire (MARQ), which can be used in heterosexual and same-sex couples in virtually any cultural setting, along with ethical guidelines for conducting this research. Anyone who is interested in why committed relationships work (or do not work) will find the book filled with compelling new information.
The Psychology of Marriage is a valuable addition to our field. It sheds light on both the culturally specific and the universal, generally adaptive properties of marriage. In their preface, the Editors write “This research has been conducted without any major grants” (p. x). The book demonstrates that much can be accomplished simply with persistence, an intellectual framework and a dedicated group of researchers. The book is an admirable step forward in articulating an evolutionary, multicultural perspective on marriage. [Reviewed by Daniel Perlman]