The Importance of Communication in Marriage Essay -- essays research p

Throughout the last half of the century, our society has watched the divorce rate of married couples skyrocket to numbers previously not seen. Although their has been a slight decline in divorce rates, â€Å"half of first marriages still were expected to dissolve before death.† (Stacy, 15, 1991) Whatever happened to that meaningful exchange of words, â€Å"until death do us part,† uttered by the bride and groom to each other on their wedding day? What could have been the cause of such inflated divorce rates? Perhaps young married couples are not mature enough to be engaged in such a trremendous responsibility, or, maybe, the couples really do not know each other as well as they thought. Possibly, they have been blinded by infatuation rather than by true love, or, quite simply, the couples mistakenly have different relational expectations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ultimately, all the possibilities point to one thing, which is a lack of communication. Somewhere along the line, there must have been a breakdown in the interpersonal communication process. Seemingly, the marital dyad has not used the correct communication patterns needed to sustain their relationship. In some way, each of them has notevaluated their partner carefully enough to ensure that this chosen individual is, in fact, truly their life long partner. By no means, is this the sole reason for divorce, but it certainly plays an enormous role. In fact, no one could ever pinpoint the exaact cause of divorce since each situation is unighu and is usually quite complicated. However, it would be unreasonable not to believe that interpersonal communication does not play an integral part in marital satisfaction. Since interpersonal communication affects almost all facets of a relationship, it has a huge impact on each and every part of both individuals’ lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marital satisfaction, something that everyone would like to find an equation for, is the goal that all married couplesnaturally wish to achieve. Since marital satisfaction obviously has a direct relationship to marital stability, the more satisfaction that is achieved within a marriage, the more stable and more positive the relationship. This stability is accomplished through hard work and communication between the partners, and a mutual understanding of what part each must play in the relationship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Communication has often been cited as the ‘primary predictor’ to... ...tionship. As with any relationship, marriage is no different. Each member of a marital dyad must have clearly defined, and understood communication between them. Satisfaction and stability in a marriage is achieved through communication and interaction between its members. A breakdown of interpersonal communication is positively related to dissatisfaction in a marriage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How can this problem of dissatisfaction be taken care of before it begins to be a broplem within the dyad? Is it even a possibility to alleviate the rising divorce rate? Too many people are getting divorced today, and the institution of marriage is losing its meaning. It is no longer thought of as a bond, or a tie that keeps people together â€Å"till death do us part†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that by continuing research on marital stability and satisfaction many more questions will be answeres. Many more ways in which satisfaction is obtained will be uncovered as well. I know that there will never be an equation for marital satisfaction, but hopefully people will realize that communication is the key factor to having positive relationships. And by using good communication, satisfaction in those relationships will follow.