Marriage: Couples and Their Different Dynamics

This past week I was able to learn about marriage and what it consists of. Marriage can be such an interesting and important transition in our lives if we decide to do it. Many of us think that marriage is the most important phase in our lives because it is expected in many cultures, family traditions and values, and for personal benefits. I have always thought that marriage is a happy time to be in love, dance around, and there would never be any conflicts. But was I wrong… Marriage is a team effort where both individuals are each other’s support, companion, friend, and lover. However, marriage was not always like this. I can say that its meaning has changed over time. Centuries ago, marriages used to be a political thing. Specially in Europe, where the couple would marry each other so that way families could stay wealthy and their nations powerful. To this day, it has transitioned the people looking for a partner who could find intimacy, personal fulfillment, and may continue to grow together. Some individuals do not choose to marry for different kind of reasons and that is okay too. Some others marry because they would like to build a family with children, while some others would not like children.

There are different couple dynamics out there. In fact, this week I have studied seven types of couples’ dynamics. To start off, there is the Financially Focused where the couple makes a good living out of their profession and are satisfied with their wants and needs. However, conflict arises when they are dissatisfied about their communication patterns if it’s not solid, and parenting. Traditional couples are those whose relationship is strong with family and friends and are satisfied with their leisure activities. Although, they tend to struggle with communication and intimacy. Conflicted couples are satisfied with fun activities and parenting their children but are dissatisfied with communication patterns and may not know how to deal with conflict. Harmonious couples are those who are satisfied with one another and their relationship but are burdened with parenting their children. They may find children as not as important. Balanced couples are comfortable in three areas: Their relationship, children, and intimacy. They communicate well with each other and find ways to fix their problems. For example, when finances rise up the table, they are able to talk about them and solve it. Finally, Vitalized couples are those who can work together and deal with any kind of problems. They feel satisfied with their relationship and may do anything to fulfill their needs and expectations. As you read this, were you able to classify yourself in any of these? If not, that is okay because their multiple dynamics in marriage and we can always improve.

 

When a couple first marries, it is important to throw some expectations. Now that they decided to build a future together, I believe it is important to be honest with each other so there might not be conflicts and misunderstandings in the future. I know that when I got married, my husband and I always had an open communication and we felt comfortable telling what is in our minds. We don’t like conflict because we understand that arguing with each other won’t get us anywhere. From our personal experiences, we both knew that talking about our disagreements meant better results because we put things into perspective and understand where we are coming from. We laid out our expectations and work together so that we can grow and build each other through our efforts and love. We are not perfect, but we strive to be equal with one another and find balance in our relationship.