What kind of partner is right for you? What kind of qualities should you be looking for in a partner? What qualities should you try to avoid in a relationship? While there are certainly many variations related to things you and a partner may have in common and what your likes/dislikes are, relationship and marriage research has revealed many fascinating results related to the characteristics of a healthy relationship partnership. This essay will address the current research about what qualities make-up an excellent relationship partnership, as well as the qualities that might be destructive for a relationship. For this essay, students should do the following:
Students will begin with a formal introduction paragraph which should introduce the topic and communicate what will be discussed in the body of the paper.
Students will read at least 3 peer-reviewed journal articles (no websites) about relationship/marriage satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Then, students will complete a brief literature review. This review should include a summary from the research of the qualities that appear to be most important for a satisfying relationship as well as the qualities that appear to be most problematic and destructive to relationships. Please be sure to pay equal attention to both sides of the research.
Lastly, students will discuss the ways in which relationship/marriage research results either align with or don’t align with the calling that men and women have from God about how we ought to behave and demonstrate love toward one another.
Students should offer biblical examples to help support there commentary in this section.
Students are required to organize their paper as follows: 1) Introduction, 2) Relationship Research Literature Review, 3) Faith Perspective. This essay should be 3-4 pages in length. Please remember to include APA in-text citations for any information that you gather from outside sources.
Grading Rubric:
Introduction (10 points) – Students will begin with a formal introduction paragraph which should introduce the topic and communicate what will be discussed in the body of the paper.
Literature Review (50 points) – Students will write a summary of a handful of qualities that appear to be most important for a satisfying relationship as well as the qualities that appear to be most problematic and destructive to relationships. Student should be sure to pay equal attention to both sides of the research. Please utilize peer-reviewed sources as the basis for this section. This should not be based on your personal experiences or ideas. Note: It is not expected for this to be an exhaustive summary, simply a thorough snapshot of several qualities that lead to relationship satisfaction as well as several qualities that lead to relationship dissatisfaction.
Faith Perspective (20 points) – Students will discuss the ways in which relationship/marriage research results either align with or don’t align with the calling that men and women have from God about how we ought to behave and demonstrate love toward one another. Students should offer biblical examples to help support there commentary in this section.
Peer-reviewed sources (10 points) – Students are required to utilize at least 3 peer-reviewed, academic journal articles. Students may use the course textbook as well; however, the textbook is in addition to the required 3 journal sources. Please, no website citations are permitted, as they are not primary sources of psychological research.
APA style; Length of essay (10 points) – Proper APA formatting is required throughout the paper. Please remember proper APA in-text citations for any information that you gather from outside sources. This essay should be 3-4 pages of text, plus a title page and reference page. No abstract needed. Required subheadings are used.
