Marriage versus living together - Essay Example

Marriage versus Living Together When couples live together prior to getting married, they enable themselves to gain an idea of what marriage will belike, at least that is the general idea. There is a wide-spread believe that “Before individuals marry, they create for themselves images of what marriage is like and expectations for what they hope to gain by marrying” (Barich & Bielby, p. 140). Many couples believe that the best way to clarify what they may be able to expect from marriage to a particular partner is to live together for some time prior to getting married.

However, the argument has been made that the very process of living together prior to getting married eliminates the desire of the couple to marry at all: “As more young adults have delayed marriage, more of them have contributed to the recent upsurge in marriage-like behavior before they marry” (Glick, p. 14). There are those who argue that recent research concerning various aspects of interpersonal relations in romantic couples is based on married couples. Individuals who merely cohabitate are not likely to be as effected by the “increasing emphasis on the role of cognitive factors in marital functioning” (Baucom et al, p. 209) References Barich, Bielby, Rachel R.

, Denise D. "Rethinking Marriage: Change and Stability in Expectations 1967-1994." Journal of Family Issues 17.2 (1996): 139-169. Web. 25 May 2011. . Baucom, Epstein, Daiuto, Carels, Rankin, Burnett, Donald H., Norman, Anthony D., Robert A., Lynn A., Charles K. "Cognitions in Marriage: The Relationship Between Standards and Attributions."Journal of Family Psychology. 10.2 (1996): 209-222. Print. Glick, Paul. "Marriage, Divorce, and Living Arragements." Journal of Family Issues 5.1 (1984): 7-26. Web. 23 May 2011. .