Human Development and Family Science

Dating is an important time of learning about yourself and your partner, but during the beginning stages of a dating relationship, each partner tends to put their best foot forward, which may lead to disappointment later in the relationship. In this publication, we describe the beginning stages of a dating relationship, and the steps new dating couples can take to avoid future disappointment.

Positive attachment is an important part of building a healthy marriage. When knowledge, trust, reliance, commitment, and sex are at balanced levels, strong, lasting attachment can help build stronger marriages. In this publication, we describe the five areas of attachment and offer suggestions on how to evaluate and improve attachment levels in these categories.

Many people believe that marriage is “happily ever after” and that happiness is the goal. In the publication, we describe the reality of marriage and the commitment involved.

Taking an annual inventory of the emotional, social, sexual, intellectual, recreational, and spiritual intimacy that is in a marriage can reveal what is being done well and what areas might need improvement. In this publication, we explain each area of intimacy in a marriage and how couples can evaluate and improve their intimacy level in these areas.

Committing to look for the positive in the relationship can have a strong impact on the strength of a couple’s marriage and their levels of satisfaction. In this publication, we encourage couples to commit to having a positive point of view, to look for and built upon the positive things in their lives, share in and talk about positive events, and to be positive and encouraging toward their partner.

Anger is an emotion that everyone feels from time to time, but mismanaging this emotion can lead to hurt and difficulty in the marriage. In this publication, we describe some ways that anger is not handled well, and how to better manage and express anger so that the problem can be resolved without damage to the marriage.