Research Question: What are the dynamics of the relationship between two happily married spouses? What are the different factors that contribute towards their successful marriage? How do they behave and interact with one another?
Motivations for research: The family has been called by sociologists the basic unit that constitutes the entire society. It has been hypothesized by various researchers in the field of sociology as well as anthropology that the American society is becoming more and weaker with each passing day because the family structure is changing and people within a family are moving distant from each other. The purpose of conducting this study is to see what role does marriage have to play in all of this? Do happily married couples have greater family solidarity? If so, what is the impact of that on the larger society?
Methodology: For the purpose of this research, three main procedures would be conducted. The first one interviews. A specific number of married men and women would be selected and conversations would be had with them about their married lives. These interviews would be conducted individually. The nature of these interviews would be semi-structured, open-ended.
The second step is to conduct focus group discussions. These would be conducted with a group of married women as well as with a group of married men. The participants would be chosen from as diverse an age group as possible.
The last method to be employed is observation. This would be conducted in public spaces where couples would be observed. Their behaviors with each other would be noticed and special care would be taken to see how their relationship impacts their children.
Theoretical framework: The findings of the research would be compared with the work of Durkheim. In ‘Durkheim’s Individual Society: A Sacred Marriage?’ Durkheim has explained the importance of the institution of marriage in a community. The findings of the research would be conducted on his theories and hypotheses.
Marriage Weber’s work ‘Authority and Autonomy in Marriage’ in which she talks about the same concept of the dynamics of relationships married couples would be analyzed and applied to the findings of the study.
Works cited
Weber, Marianne, and Craig R. Bermingham. “Authority and Autonomy in Marriage.” Sociological Theory, vol. 21, no. 2, 2003, pp. 85–102. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3108620.
Cladis, Mark S. “Durkheim’s Individual in Society: A Sacred Marriage?” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 53, no. 1, 1992, pp. 71–90. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2709911.
