The problem of this study was the negative or positive effects of a partially structured Christian marriage enrichment weekend upon marital communication, marital adjustment, and purpose in life. The results indicated that on all four tests both groups improved significantly over a two-month period but not over a one-week period. The general conclusions to be drawn are two-fold. First, a partially structured Christian marriage enrichment weekend, namely Enjoying Marriage, will probably help a couple improve in communication, adjustment, and purpose in life. Second, only on adjustment and purpose in life can one say that such improvement is based specifically upon the content of the weekend. The reason for this is that a weekend retreat group who received no treatment on marriage also improved in communication and on one specific type of marital adjustment as measured by the Polyfactor Sentence Completion Survey.

The present study is a longitudinal exploration of problems and satisfaction in the marriages of 60 participants. The Marriage Adjustment and the Confidential questionnaire were administered to these participants in 1973 and again in 1981, and their results were examined both descriptively and empirically for female/male differences in patterns of problems and satisfaction. In terms of empirical findings, eight hypotheses used either t-tests for dependent means or Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients to test the frequency of problem endorsement relating to patterns of increase, persistence, and covariation with satisfaction levels. Satisfaction patterns over time and female/male differences were also explored. Females in the study showed significant increases in numbers of problems over time, whereas males did not. Females also showed significant decreases in satisfaction levels, whereas males did not. Both females and males showed an inverse relationship between number of problems and level of satisfaction in 1981, but not in 1973. Both females and males showed a relationship between frequency of problems endorsed in 1973 and the number of those problems persisting in 1981. There were no significant differences between female and male satisfaction ratings. In terms of descriptive findings, several research questions explored the content of most prevalent problems and problem categories in each year and persisting with time. Sex and communication problems were the highest ranked categories in both years for both sexes, and tended to persist and increase in number with time.

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-71).

Before we can properly answer the question “What is marriage?,” we must first be able to answer the question “What is marriage for?” Defining what marriage is, before fully understanding what marriage is for, presumes we already know what marriage is for, when in fact we do not. In a moral sense, marriage is for love. And in a legal sense, marriage is for everyone (regardless of sexuality or race). In this paper I discuss how, regardless of whether you view marriage in a purely moral or in a purely legal light, marriage equality should be afforded to all citizens.

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-77).

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-62).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Psychology, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 120-127).

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-72).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität zu Köln.

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-62).