Couples that live together first are more likely to have a successful marriage. Psychology course
Survey: Agree or disagree
Cohabitation is the word that researchers use for a romantic relationship between two partners who live together without being married. It has become very common in the US and is much more widely accepted than it was a few decades ago (Graf, 2019). It seems obvious that living together would allow a couple to make a more sound decision about marriage after they’ve lived together and learned more about each other, but what appears to be obvious is not always true.
I’m going to warn you: this issue is a very tricky one! Common sense suggests that if two people live together and later decide to split up, they have avoided a marriage that would likely have ended in divorce. However, there are also couples who live together and eventually marry, but they seem to have slid into marriage. Many of these marriages came about through inertia–it was easier to marry than to split up, and the spouses settled for someone whom they would not have selected had they been seeking a marriage partner in the first place. Many of these marriages lead to disappointment, and eventually, to divorce.
Be careful when you do your research on this. Some websites that strongly oppose living together are sponsored by organizations promoting traditional marriages. I’m not criticizing their views of marriage, but pointing out the need to distinguish between research evidence and moral arguments.
Graf, N. (2019). Key findings on marriage and cohabitation in the US. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/06/key-findings-on-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/ (Links to an external site.)
The SURVEY is here.
Instructions for Discussion
Explain the reason for your choice, providing evidence that supports your opinion. Personal opinion or anecdotes are not considered evidence, but you are encouraged to use the textbook as a source of information. Other potential sources include published articles such as:
A peer-reviewed research study
A summary of research
An explanation from a reputable organization; examples APA, APS, American Academy of Pediatrics, or you may use Psychology Today blog posts as sources.
Avoid quotations and avoid plagiarism: the explanation must be in your own words
Cite your source. If you use the textbook, you need only to show the in-text citation: Kail & Cavanaugh, 2017. For other sources, you need complete reference information (but format is not being graded): author, date, title of article, journal or place of publication, URL for online source.
