6-8 page research paper

Research Outline 2

Thesis: Happy marriages evolve in the face of inevitable challenges.

TS 1: Everyone has their own meaning of what a happy marriage or relationship is.

1. “The relationship between marriage and happiness is, like most things in psychological science, bi-directional. In other words, it’s what you do to foster happiness as an individual and a spouse that makes a difference, not marriage all by itself” (Simon-Thomas).

2. “Happy marriage is the shared sense of a couple that they have found or achieved a special “good fit” between their individual needs, wishes, and expectations, a fit that they regard as unique and probably irreplaceable” (Wallerstein).

3. A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.

4. “It’s not marriage that makes you happy, it’s happy marriage that makes you happy” (Munsey).

TS 2: Relationships aren’t perfect, and there are times when couples go through tough challenges during marriage.

1. “Relationship satisfaction in couples is almost universally high at the time of by marriage, but the average satisfaction decreases, and about 3% to 4% of couples separate each year, across the first 10 years of marriage” (Halford).

2. “Negative emotions are not always bad and are sometimes good, suggesting a need to have a balanced view about emotional experience and a more nuanced understanding of the roles of positive and negative subjective experiences in well-being” (McMahan et al.).

3. “Happiness would lose all meaning were it not balanced by sadness” (McMahan et al.).

TS 3: To maintain a happy and healthy marriage, communication with your partner regularly is an effective intervention that keeps relationships together.

TS 4: Another tool that keep marriages happy and strong is by seeking forgiveness in your relationship when needed.

1. “When interpersonal transgressions occur in marriage they can elicit strong negative feelings and have the potential to disrupt the relationship. Perhaps not surprisingly, spouses report that the capacity to seek and grant forgiveness is one of the most important factors contributing to marital longevity and marital satisfaction” (Fincham et al.).

2. “Conflict resolution is integral to a successful relationship and it can be argued that resentment engendered by partner transgressions is likely to fuel couple conflict and impede successful conflict resolution” (Fincham et al.).

3. “Couples who practice forgiveness can rid themselves of the toxic hurt and shame that holds them back from feeling connected to each other” (Gaspard, Terry).

4. “The problem with holding on to resentment toward your partner is that it often leads to withdrawal and a lack of vulnerability. Over time, this can erode trust” (Gaspard, Terry).

5. “Often people equate forgiveness with weakness, and it is widely believed that if you forgive someone, you’re condoning or excusing their behavior. However, in marriage, forgiveness is a strength because it shows you are capable of goodwill toward your partner” (Gaspard, Terry).

6. “Self-forgiveness plays an interesting role in marriage as spouses must frequently deal with the fact that they have behaved in a way that was hurtful to their partner” (Fincham et al.).