Keywords

Marital conflict, Newlyweds

Abstract

This exploratory research responds to two primary questions: 1) what is marital conflict and, 2) does it transform newlywed relationships? Using three-wave panel data collected with the purpose of studying the participants of the Covenant Marriage Act in Louisiana, it examines the nature and effects of conflict on newlywed couples over the first five years of marriage. While the analysis contained in this dissertation answers the research questions, it also presents more questions than it answers. This research examines six major themes regarding 1)the nature of marital conflict among these couples, 2) what couples disagree about, 3) how do couples behave when conflict is present, including managing thoughts of divorce, 4) how does conflict change over time, 5) how does conflict experienced in the family of origin manifest in current marriages, and 6) what effect does religiosity have on conflict? Findings support the conventional wisdom in marriage that conflict increases over time, and marital quality decreases over time. In addition, findings show that by wave three sex is the number one topic of disagreement, and that it had the largest increase over time.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2010

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Wright, James

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0003451

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0003451

Language

English

Release Date

December 2010

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences, Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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