Does Religion Plays A Role? Infidelity?

Objective – Explain basic sociological concepts of the family, marriage, and intimate relationships. (Pg. 365)

Preference, superiority, selection and devotion keep monogamous marriage a social institution. Clearly, marriage degenerates when these characteristic traits are not present. In order to have a true monogamous marriage, a man would have to mark the woman he married as superior. However, this cannot be implicitly true. It is evident that some people should not be parents, and should not raise children so there are clearly some flaws in this relationship among society in these social institutions.

In Caitlin Flanagan’s Is There Hope for the American Marriage, she establishes the foundation for what the American Marriage means in today’s world by arguing that marriages are likely to collapse over time. With this being said, Flanagan goes on to depict the fragility of marriage during times of adversity, and how susceptible the couples can be when searching for alternative bonds from people other than their own partner, even if it means making moral sacrifices. Through a series of anecdotes from sources like herself to politicians, she further expands on this idea that the ideal marriage is nothing but a hoax for the likelihood of publicity. Flanagan includes sources from sociologists, such as Andrew J. Cherlin and Maria Kefalas, both whom

Modern, contemporary society’s mindset on marriage has shifted considerably over the years. Some research has noted the increase in early sexual experiences, greater acceptance of cohabitation and the increase in narcissistic tendencies, are complicating and muddying the ideals of what marriage means to people today. Research done on this subject resulted in several studies that found that spouses who did not believe that marriage would last forever, were less likely to commit to the relationship financially and were more likely to have extramarital affairs.

In Andrew J. Cherlin’s essay “American Marriage In Transition”, he discusses how marriage in America is evolving from the universal marriage. Cherlin’s definition of the universal marriage in his essay is the man is the breadwinner of the household and the woman is the homemaker. In the 20th century according to Cherlin, the meaning of marriage has been altered such as the changing division of labor, childbearing outside of marriage, cohabitation, gay marriage and the result of long- term cultural and material trends (1154). During the first transition of marriage, Cherlin discusses how in America, Europe, and Canada the only socially accepted way to have sexual relations with a person and to have children is to be married (1154). The second change in marriage occurred in 2000, where the median age of marriage in the United States for men is 27 and women is 25 (1155). Many young adults stayed single during this time and focused on their education and starting their careers. During the second change, the role of law increasingly changed, especially in the role of law in divorce (1155). It is proven in today’s research marriage has a different definition than what it did back in the 1950’s. Today marriage can be defined as getting married to the same gender or getting remarried to someone who already has kids. The roles in a marriage are evolving to be a little more flexible and negotiable. However, women still do a lot of the basic household chores and taking care of the

In the article “What if Marriage is Bad for Us?” Laurie Essig and Lynn Owens summarize the things that

Stephanie Coontz is a sociologist who is interested in marriage and the change in its structure over the time-span as love became a main proponent of the relationship involved in marriages. In her article, “What 's Love Got to Do With It,” Coontz argues that the more love becomes a part of the equation the less stable the institution of marriage becomes. Marriage at one point was a social contract that bound two families together to increase their property and wealth as well as ally connections. Each party entered into the contract knowing their roles and if one partner failed to meet the expectations, they were still contractually obligated to one another and were not allowed to divorce. As love became part of the equation, each partner was less sure of their obligations and often chose to end their marriages if at all possible.

Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. Although studies vary across the board, roughly fifty percent of men and women will admit to committing infidelity at some point in their marriage. And while infidelity is not the only cause of divorce, it is certainly a top reason. A marriage is meant to be a lifelong commitment with another person, fully and completely. The presence of trust in any relationship is not only desired, but vital. Trust is utter confidence in the truth of someone, something, or some event. The knowledge of infidelity creates distrust and once said trust is lost, it is difficult - sometimes impossible- to gain back. Trust is earned, not given. Robert Heinlein’s “The Long Watch” demonstrates how distrust creates a society without function.

In this article, Infidelity and attachment: The Moderating Role of Race/Ethnicity by Parker, M.L., & Kelly Campbell, K., indicates a wide variety of cultures and ethnic groups, with people possessing diverse cultural values, have a profound impact on their romantic preferences, their comfort when facing serious romantic commitments, the dynamics of marital relationships, and how people react when marital relationships fall apart (2017). Extramarital affairs are hurtful, upsetting and immoral. However, in this society it is accepted are a part of the norm. Infidelity is socially constructed and is influenced by cultural values and beliefs. The study in this article was hypothesized whether, certain attachment styles like secure, preoccupied,

Adamczyk (et. al) investigated the relationship by examining how macro- and micro-level religious effects shape individuals’ reports of premarital and extramarital sex. The authors viewed it using one of the major world religions—Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, or Judaism—and living in a nation with a Muslim culture shape the likelihood of sex outside of marriage. Using hierarchical modeling techniques and cross-national data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, they found that ever married Hindus and Muslims were less likely to report having had premarital sex than are ever married Jews and Christians, and an earlier age at marriage does not appear to explain the relationship. Married Muslims were also less likely than affiliates of all other religions, except Buddhists, to report extramarital sex. The percentage Muslim within a nation decreases the odds of reports of premarital sex and the relationship is not explained by restrictions on women’s

Established with Adam and Eve, still surviving, marriage is the oldest institution known. Often the climax of most romantic movies and stories, whether it may be ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or ‘Dil Wale Dulhaniya Ley Jaein Gey’, marriage has a universal appeal. It continues to be the most intimate social network, providing the strongest and most frequent opportunity for social and emotional support. Though, over the years, marriage appears to be tarnished with high divorce rates, discontentment and infidelity, it is still a principal source of happiness in the lives of respective partners. Although marriage is perceived as a deeply flawed institution serving more the needs of the society than those of the individuals, nevertheless, marriage is

Sexual fidelity is part of the institution of marriage and any form of extramarital sex could often lead to the dissolution of marriage. This research provides an overview to identify cues on infidelity. This article also examines the relationship between people’s relative income contributions, a measure of household specialization and infidelity something that has received little regard (Munsch 2015). Any form of emotional or sexual intimacy with someone other than your spouse qualifies as infidelity. Although research on infidelity has been conducted for years it has produced varying results. In most studies the findings show that men are more likely to engage in infidelity. It also shows that a number of married couples are likely to engage in some sort of infidelity. In previous research it suggested that African Americans engaged in infidelity more than any other race (2015). Money also plays an intricate part in many marriages and the dissolution of marriages. Money and infidelity is one of the leading causes of disruption and the dissolution of many marriages. According to societal norms money is usually associated with infidelity. For economically dependent persons there is a higher chance on infidelity. Affairs are more common in today’s society and it is still morally wrong. Many married couples have broken their sacred promise of their vows “til death do us part.” Infidelity is the not the go- between for divorce, but it is more than likely the reason

Due to the Sexual Revolution in the 1960s, sex has been redefined allowing for cultural acceptance of societal phenomena such as the Hookup Culture, pre-marital sex, and cohabitation. Redefining sexual relationships has aided in the fundamental distortion of human sexuality and sexual relationships, causing the institution of marriage to be affected. Marriage has transitioned in the minds of contemporary culture from a covenant made between two people as reflection of “Christ’s self-offering to the Church” to “a mere ceremony – a ritual devoid of efficacy” (Grabowski, 117). This change in marriage has allowed the practice of cohabitation to increase. This increase occurred as individuals came to view marriage only as a capstone to their relationship,

The simplest and most basic foundation of a sociological civilization or group begins at the core center of sociology; which is marriage and the inner-fabric creation of a family. It is said that matches are made in heaven, however finding and defining your “soul mate” differs from one social group to the next. The social institution of marriage changes and adapts consistently through time, religious practice, and national beliefs. Many people believe they lead happy and satisfying lives without a marital partner, as others highly value and desire a life-long marital partner as the pinnacle achievement of their life.

This article provides an interdisciplinary framework for studying marital and other intimate relationships. Three levels of analysis are distinguished: (a) the society, characterized in terms of both macrosocietal forces and the ecological niches within which particular spouses and couples function; (b) the individual spouses, including their psychosocial and physical attributes, as well as the attitudes and beliefs they have about each other and their relationship; and (c) the marriage relationship, viewed as a behavioral system embedded within a larger network of close relationships. The discussion focuses primarily on the interplay between the spouses and their marriage, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing, both analytically and