Why are some marriages more successful, more satisfying, and more enduring than others? The answer to this question is perhaps the most widely studied and best-known part of our marriage and family-therapy literature, although arguably, it is the least understood and certainly the least followed in terms of avoiding the pitfalls that lead to unsuccessful marriages. What this book proposes as an answer to this question is the nearest thing we have to a manifesto for marriage and family living. It provides us with a clear description of what married life should be like. No words or ideas sum up the intention of this manifesto better or indicate more clearly its challenge to contemporary marriages than the words "making marriage user-friendly."

Staying happily married has become a difficult proposition in recent times. Although the institution is still firmly embedded in our culture, divorce rates have steadily climbed since the 1960s. While some marriages are truly divorce-worthy, many other broken marriages can be saved. Recent emphasis on personal needs and greater social acceptance of divorce and alternative lifestyles may have weakened the resolve of partners to work through their problems. Furthermore, many couples may not realize that problems in their current marriages are likely to surface in other relationships. Consequently, while they may consider divorce a solution, it may in fact only be a stepping stone to the next relationship where patterns may repeat. Solving marital differences can be difficult. They tend to be linked to or caused by other problems, and that can make it hard to identify the real reasons for conflicts. Without knowing the true nature of their problems, couples cannot arrive at solutions that actually work. To understand the underlying issues that plague many marriages, the authors look to the research conducted on the subject over the past fifty years and to real life stories of success and failure to outline the major issues that detract from marital stability. Drawing on Louis Primavera’s twenty-five years in private practice as a marriage counselor, each chapter is peppered with anecdotes that every married person can relate to, and that help bring issues to life. The authors also propose frank and honest solutions that can help couples have more satisfying relationships. Anyone looking to improve their marriage will find suggestions for sussing out the underlying problems they may be experiencing and guidance for addressing those problems.

Just as Masters and Johnson were pioneers in the study of human sexuality, so Dr. John Gottman has revolutionized the study of marriage. As a professor of psychology at the University of Washington and the founder and director of the Seattle Marital and Family Institute, he has studied the habits of married couples in unprecedented detail over the course of many years. His findings, and his heavily attended workshops, have already turned around thousands of faltering marriages. This book is the culmination of his life's work: the seven principles that guide couples on the path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward in their approach, yet profound in their effect, these principles teach partners new and startling strategies for making their marriage work. Gottman helps couples focus on each other, on paying attention to the small day-to-day moments that, strung together, make up the heart and soul of any relationship. Being thoughtful about ordinary matters provides spouses with a solid foundation for resolving conflict when it does occur and finding strategies for living with those issues that cannot be resolved. Packed with questionnaires and exercises whose effectiveness has been proven in Dr. Gottman's workshops, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the result of Dr. John Gottman's many years of closely observing thousands of marriages. This kind of longitudinal research has never been done before. Based on his findings, he has culled seven principles essential to the success of any marriage. Maintain a love map. Foster fondness and admiration. Turn toward instead of away. Accept influence. Solve solvable conflicts. Cope with conflicts you can't resolve. Create shared meaning. Dr. Gottman's unique questionnaires and exercises will guide couples on the road to revitalizing their marriage, or making a strong one even better.

Is redefining marriage to include same-sex unions simply an act of fairness to gays and lesbians - another step in the evolution to a just society? Or is it a hastily conceived social experiment that will undermine human rights, deflecting marriage from the support of children to the mere affirmation of sexual commitment between adults? Written for a broad readership, Divorcing Marriage sheds light on three central questions: How did Canada come to the point of proposing a redefinition of marriage? Where would redefinition take Canadian society? Do the Charter and equality rights mandate exchanging an opposite-sex institution for one built on "the union of two persons"? The contributors ask Canadians to pause for reflection and take a closer look at the arguments for and against redefinition of marriage. They implore us to examine the effects of marriage on children, the law, freedom of speech and religion, and society as a whole. The authors are prominent Canadians in the fields of law, ethics, political science, religion, and culture and include, among others, Margaret Somerville, Ted Morton, F.C. DeCoste, Katherine Young, and Conservative Party MP John McKay.

This workbook is based on an in-depth study of 1,064 successfully and unsuccessfully married adults. Analysis of their relationships revealed patterns with invaluable knowledge that lead to the development of this '10-Step Smart Lover's Model' as a decision-making tool for managing risks in choosing and keeping a spouse. This book reveals the useful information you need to know to empower you to make smarter decisions in building a strong foundation for your love relationship.This book shows you how to skillfully choose and keep your lover successfully, without making painful marital mistakes. The '10 Steps to Success in Love and Marriage' reveals the hard facts you need to learn to enable you to unlock the secrets in building a lifetime love relationship. This is the life-shaping knowledge you will use your whole life long, to protect your heart and make you deeply fulfilled in your love relationship. This workbook makes an invaluable gift to your loved ones, who desire not to be just married, but to skillfully and confidently create a successful love relationship that lasts forever.This book will equip you with the following benefits:1. Discover your true self, and unique compatibility features.2. Design the profile of your true wife or husband; attract that specific lover like magic, and start your marriage from a rock solid foundation.3. Develop the best loving skill to avoid the heartache of a breakup.4. Use the latest SLM process protocol as a system that gives you a procedure under which to operate, guide, and protect your family's legacy.5. Increase your knowledge to avoid the common marital mistakes, by building over 40,000 years of other people's experiences.6. Become a Better Spouse and create a warm and fulfilling love relationship.7. Develop the 15 self-help success mindsets you need to make your marriage richer, freer, and more sensational.

How would you like to go through life pretending you knew what love is? Although love is a familiar, often-used word, what we mean when we use it is not always clear. Obviously, I love pizza conveys a different feeling than does I love God. This book views love as an action, as something we do. It is more than an emotionit is the only human sentiment that is completely expressed in positive concern for the welfare of others. Four kinds of love are differentiated: these are eros, the language of romance; storge, family or parental love; philia, brotherly love; and agape, the love of and for God. Unfortunately, the English language uses only one word to describe all four kinds. Two descriptive aspects of loves relation to helping have evolved. First, love involves more or less sympathy with the loved one. Second, the one who loves manifests a desire to enhance the well-being and psychological growth of the beloved. Love has been more widely researched and written about than has helping. Love as a helping relationship has received even less attention. This book views love and helping as being synonymous. The first two chapters discuss the nature of human behavior and the purpose of our livesi.e., Gods plan for our lives. The next two chapters examine the nature of helping relationships, and the joy and benefits of helping others. Also discussed are helping in secret, helping others grieve, why we dont help others in need, and choosing our destiny.