Marriage as a Social Act
Marriage is an eminently social act, which not only unites the couple between themselves but the couple to society. Unlike the contract, which is only an agreement between the contractors, the institution is defined by a number of rules, pre-existing obligations, in which the spouses agree to enter. However, in today's world, things are changing. As a result, the research "The changing landscape of love and marriage" aims at shedding some light on the landscape of love and marriage which is changing. The research mainly focuses on the United States where marriage has been taken-for-granted and now is viewed as a compulsory status for adult life and as a result, both the children and the adults are experiencing upheaval and change in their personal lives. Some of these changes include change in intimacy and the persistent pull of marriage.
Evaluating the Research
To evaluate the research purpose, the authors of the research used empirical studies which described what is happening based on in-depth interviews, discussions, focus group, and direct observation. The empirical studies used provided the research with deep and rich contextual data which based on the conclusion made, helped in understanding the phenomenon of love and marriage. The research makes important conclusions where in a marriage, intimacy is very important. People still believe in the idea of lifelong marriage but very few people follow through. A marriage without intimacy affects children by elevating their risk of behavioral and emotional problems. On the other hand, a marriage with intimacy and caring parents affects children in a positive way allowing them to grow in a conducive environment.
Symbolic Interactionist Theoretical Approach
This research utilized symbolic interactionist theoretical approach to answer its questions on the changing landscape of love and marriage. Taking up this thesis on the social construction of identity through the learning of social roles, the research creates the term symbolic interactionism by emphasizing the importance of the conversation through which shared meanings are constructed. In this perspective, the conversation with others extends to a conversation with oneself and with the society internalized by the individual, allowing the individual to act appropriately. Thus, the interactionist approach emphasizes the learning of social roles and porosity between the individual and the social. From then on, the interactionist perspective will focus less on the characteristics of the deviant than on the process by which they are labeled as deviant and on the way in which these individuals react to this stigma.
Limitations and Questions
After a careful analysis of the research, there are some questions that arise from the conclusion put forth. For instance, even though love and arranged marriages have been there for a while now, can arranged marriage work in the current society? Additionally, in terms of marriage, what are some of the social roles and porosity between the individual and the social. However, there is some limitation to this research. These limitations mainly arise from the fact that the research utilized symbolic interactionist theoretical approach which can only link ideas and this is a limitation since the research has relied mainly on logic which sometimes might not be true and cannot account for the real world. However, despite these limitations, this research, by placing love and marriage in a constructivist perspective, has allowed a broader reflection on the role of society and its institutions in the very fabric of deviance as well as in the processes of deviant designation.
References
Hull, K. E., Meier, A., & Ortyl, T. (2010). The changing landscape of love and marriage. Contexts, 9(2), 32-37.
