In our society today the progress of many courtships and engagements is interrupted by separations of varying periods of time and for various reasons. Hill (1949) found that wartime family separations cause a two-dimensional crisis constituting a hazard to the continuance of the relations hip both at the time of separation and at the time of r e union. The assumption is made that a courtship would be affected in a similar way. Blood (1963, p. 161) says, Both partners change somewhat while they are apart. This is not due to the separation alone, however, for personality changes go on constantly. When people are together, changes are adjusted to as they occur. New interests and behavior patterns emerge so gradually that people who see each other regularly hardly realize what is happening. If the same people had been apart, the cumulative effect of the same changes would be conspicuous.. Note how parents are never so startled by their children's growth as relatives who haven't seen them for a whole year . Personality changes not only pile up during separation but also are accentuated by it. When people are together, they are exposed to similar influences . Separation inevitably involves a different environment. In the case of military service, this change is especially marked.