| A phenomenological inquiry of the question, "What is the experience of the long-term marriage relationship?" was explored in this study. The theoretical foundation for the investigation incorporated concepts of existentialism, phenomenology and humanistic psychology.;Review of the literature yielded a few studies of long-term marriage and an abundance of quantitative research examining factors necessary to achieve marital satisfaction. This study is a qualitative examination of sustained marriage relationships that offers a comprehensive phenomenological descriptive analysis of the themes involved therein. The data was collected by means of an in-depth interview with a population of fifteen couples married for over twenty years, living in the northern suburbs of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. The analysis of data through the process of phenomenological reduction yielded major components and basic themes of the experience of the long-term marriage relationship.;Couples interviewed described their relationship as one in which commitment to one another resulted in satisfaction of personal needs, which in turn deepened commitment to the sustained relationship. Changes in the experience of the relationship over time led to the gradual development of "oneness" of being and intermittent distancing from one another during the natural ebb and flow of life's crises. Additionally, the long-term marriage relationship involved both verbal and non-verbal sharing through self-disclosing communication of varying degrees and intensity. A desire to remain in the marriage and work toward its enhancement and enrichment was increased by the sharing of self. The building of mutual life memories was another significant aspect of a sustained marriage relationship revealed by this study. These memories, both joyous and painful, deepened the connecting links between couples. Finally, the experience of the long-term marriage relationship involved the branching outward to create, develop, or touch the lives of others and to affirm and further sustain the marriage.;This study concluded that couples engaged in long-term marriage relationships can and do experience marital satisfaction over long periods of time, contrary to results of previous empirical and qualitative research. It further suggested that the experience of the long-term marriage relationship warranted additional study and research. |
