This essay offers an analysis of the phenomena of normative matrilateral and patrilateral cross-cousin marriage. The review of prior literature is confined to studies which appear to be significantly opposed in approach to my own; the "exchange theories" of Levi-Strauss, Leach and Needham. Therefore, the review is conducted in the context of a discussion of some epistemological questions important to contemporary social anthropology. The major points of departure between the exchange theories and my own views center upon the question as to what we are to take as our analytic units: de facto corporate units or idealogically explicit social divisions. Whereas I opt for the former, explanatory propositions employ a concept of whole "groups" as their subject element only in an elliptical sense; "group" means a set of human actors. This view implies that, where human actors are our subject-element, it is not merely reasonable but is desirable to predicate phenomena of a motivational nature to them. Thus, both conscious decision-making and unconscious dispositions, admittedly in some sense "psychological", are valid forms of sociological analysis. Indeed, to my way of thinking they are the most powerful conceptions that we can presently form. In the last analysis I regard the predications of the exchange theories to be of precisely this order. My complaint is that this mode of predication is inconsistent with the confinement of our analytic subject-element to idealogical social divisions: whole-descent-groups. That approach, I argue, severely delimits our explanatory powers, especially in a context of structural change. These arguments are illustrated in an analysis of Purum data. My own models are based upon a series of concepts having to do with processes of role identification between personnel of adjacent generations. These processes, though not verbalized, find formal expression in the distribution of Ego's sexual cum marital privileges and taboos. This encompasses Ego's relations with many personnel, thereby extending the implications of the models' theoretical premises considerably beyond the cousin relationships taken as the initial problem. This extension in the scope of deductions permits the formulation of empirically testable hypotheses of value in the verification of the theoretical premises. The concepts and methods developed are illustrated and tested I think successfully against Murngin data. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Marriages and intimate relationships have undergone significant changes over time. These changes have brought challenges, especially in the 21st century. The high rate of divorce is an indication that couples are not always prepared to deal with the challenges that marriage presents. Two worlds collide when a couple enter into a relationship and it is how they negotiate these changes and challenges that determines the success of the marriage and the couples’ marital satisfaction levels. Therefore, it is imperative that couples receive marriage preparation to assist them in negotiating the changes and challenges before embarking on the journey of marriage. South Africa is a country characterised by diversity in terms of race, language, culture and class, to name but a few. Despite global impacts on marriages and families, such as legislation and the development of technology, these country-specific diversities heighten the challenges that couples experience in marriage and intimate relationships. The PREPARE program is a widely-used marriage education program in South Africa. It uses a combination of assessment methods and skill building exercises to assist couples in preparing for marriage and improving their marital satisfaction levels. Many studies have been conducted on the PREPARE program internationally, but not in South Africa. As this program is widely used in this country, this study has explored the contribution of the PREPARE program on marriages within the South African context. The research methodology used for this study was based on a mixed-methods research design. In the quantitative phase of this study, the couples’ marital satisfaction levels were obtained using a standardised measuring instrument known as the Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS). As the PREPARE program is based on assessing the marital components of a relationship, a report is provided where couples are scored, based on positive couple agreement. The MSS scores are then compared to the initial scores as indicated in the PREPARE program. The purpose of this is to determine whether the PREPARE program has had an impact on couples’ marital satisfaction levels, after being married for some time. The second phase of the research study, the qualitative phase, focuses on documenting the experiences of couples to determine how the PREPARE program has impacted on their marriages. A semi-structured interview was used for this purpose. To examine the effects of the PREPARE program in more depth, the researcher interviewed the counsellors/ facilitators who administer the program, to ascertain their findings. An in-depth literature study was done on the various components of marriage, as well as intervention in marriages, with specific focus on the PREPARE program as an intervention method. Comparative studies were conducted on the challenges and successes of the PREPARE program with the premise that these challenges may or may not be applicable within the South African context. Using a mixed-methods research design, this study revealed that the PREPARE program does positively contribute to marital satisfaction of couples in South Africa too, after couples have been married for some time. It also has a positive effect on the counsellors administering the program. Several benefits of the program were identified by the participants. One of the major limitations of the study was that the research participants represented a homogenous population, and further research would therefore need to be conducted on other populations to yield generalised results. However, the data gathered from the counsellors/ facilitators rendered insightful recommendations on how the program could be adapted to accommodate couples from diverse cultural and language backgrounds within the South African context. The research question was answered in that the contribution of the PREPARE program on marriages in South Africa was explored; although further research will need to be done to conclude these findings. From the results of this study, conclusions were deduced and recommendations made. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

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While same-sex marriage rights have expanded to twelve states, the time-lag in research and publishing has meant that most published studies on same-sex relationships has relied on a hodge-podge of same-sex relationship types. This study uses interview data with same-sex couples who have wed in the years after marriage became available and examines their incentives to wed and the decision making process they go about in planning their weddings. Against a backdrop of larger debates in the queer community surrounding assimilation and access to benefits, couples are changing how we must think about marriage and creating new norms for the institution. This study seeks to answer the following questions: This raises the following questions: How do a group of people previously barred from a legal institution make the decision to enter into that institution? Do they consciously see the act of marrying as a political decision, as a flouting of convention or as a reproduction of it? Does this shift to marriage represent an assimilationist tendency on the part of participants, or are they changing relationship norms and the institution of marriage itself? Studying the ways in which same-sex couples answer these questions allows us to see the meaning making that those couples do when engaging in public rituals and they will be shaped by access to this institution while changing marriage itself.

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This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the microcounseling training model for the improvement of marital communication. The purposes of this study were (a) to assess the effects of microcounseling on the communication between married couples; (b) to determine whether the teaching of skills using microcounseling can have specific behavioral effects on the actions of individuals in training; (c) to assess whether this change has effects on sharing behavior of couples; (d) to determine whether skill training has any effect on marital adjustment of couples; and (e) to examine changes in meaning that training may cause. Based on statistical results it was concluded the microcounseling does not result in significant changes in marital communication. Neither does microcounseling bring about significant changes in marital adjustment or primary communication. Eleven of the semantic differential items did change significantly. It was nevertheless concluded that these changes were not enough to support the conclusion that great changes in meaning had occurred. It was concluded that from a time-cost standpoint, microcounseling is not an efficient way to train married couples' communication.

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