The Marriage Paradox

Brian J. Willoughby, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Dr. Willoughby is considered an international expert in the field of couple and marital relationships, sexuality, and emerging adult development. His research generally focuses on how adolescents, young adults, and adults move toward and form long-term committed relationships.Spencer L. James, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. As a family demographer, Dr. James is interested in the ways people form, maintain, and dissolve long-term romantic relationships, especially during emerging adulthood. He draws primarily on nationally representative longitudinal datasets and advanced statistical methods to answer questions about contemporary trends in marital and cohabiting relationships.

• Series ForewordAcknowledgments Introduction: The Marriage Paradox Chapter 1: Modern Marriage and Emerging Adulthood in the United StatesChapter 2: Dating, Hooking-up, and Love: Relationships during Emerging AdulthoodChapter 3: Why Marriage Still Matters: Understanding Marital Paradigms During Emerging AdulthoodChapter 4: I Want to Get Married Just Not Right NowChapter 5: Marriage is Important Just Not That ImportantChapter 6: Finding the Right Person to MarryChapter 7: The Influence of Parents and FamiliesChapter 8: Social Influences and MarriageChapter 9: Gender and Gender Role ExpectationsChapter 10: The Counter-Culture of Married Emerging AdultsChapter 11: Looking Ahead: The Future of the Marriage Paradox AppendixReferencesAbout the AuthorsIndex

"An important and much-needed scholarly contribution on marriage in emerging adulthood. Conceptually guided and illustrated with interview data, a strong case is made for the marriage paradox in today's increasingly diverse landscape of romantic/sexual relationships and experiences. A must-read for scholars of close relationships in emerging adulthood!" -- Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, PhD, Kent State University"The authors effectively and concisely present the quantitative results, making them easily comprehensible. Quotes from participants are included throughout, supporting the qualitative findings, and communicating the complexity of relationships and marriage from the participants' perspectives...developmental psychologists will find that this book provides an in-depth look at an important issue that is rich with participants' perspectives."--PsycCRITIQUES