Home | Relationships | Marriage

EMPTY- SHELL MARRIAGES

By: ANASTASIA

Read More About Marriage

In empty-shell marriage the spouse feel no strong attachment to each other, but outside pressures keep the marriage together. Such outside pressures include: business reasons (for example, an elected official wanting to convey a stable family image); investment reasons (for example, husband and wife may have a luxurious home and other property which they do not want to lose by parting); and outward appearance (for example, a couple living in a small community may remain together to avoid the reactions of relatives and friends to a divorce). In addition, a couple may believe that ending the marriage would harm the children or may believe that getting a divorce would be morally wrong.

John F. Guber and Peggy B. Hanroff (1971) have identified three types empty-shell marriages. In a devitalized relationship husband and wife lack excitement or any real interest in their spouse or their marriage. Boredom and apathy characterize this marriage and serious arguments are rare.
In a conflict-habituated relationship husband and wife frequently quarrel in private. They may also quarrel in public or put up a facade of being compatible. The relationship is characterized by considerable conflict, tension, and bitterness.

In a passive congenial relationship both partners are not happy, but are content with their lives and gradually feel adequate. The partners may have some interests in common, but these interests are generally insignificant. The spouses contribute little to each other's real satisfaction.

The number of empty-shell marriage is unknown — it may be as the number of happily married couples. The atmosphere in empty-shell marriages is without much fun or laughter. Members do not share and discuss their problems or experiences with each other. Communication is kept to a minimum. There is seldom any spontaneous expression of affection or sharing of a personal experience. Children in such families are usually starved for love and reluctant to have friends over, as they are embarrassed about having their friends see their parents interacting.

The couples in these marriages engage in few activities together and display no pleasure in being in one another's company. Sexual relations between the partners, as might be expected, are rare and generally unsatisfying. Visitors will note that the partners (and often the children) appear insensitive, cold, and callous to each other. Yet, closer observation will reveal that the members are highly aware of each other's weaknesses and sensitive areas, as they manage to frequently mention these areas, in order to hurt one another.

William J. Goode compares empty-shell marriages to marriages that end in divorce. Most families that divorce pass through a state — sometimes after the divorce — in which husband and wife no longer feel bound to each other, cease to cooperate or share with each other, and look on one another as almost a stranger. The "empty-shell" family is in such a state. Its members no longer feel any strong commitment to many of the mutual role obligations, but for various reasons the husband and wife do not separate or divorce. The number of empty-shell marriages ending in divorce is unknown. It is likely that a fair number eventually do. Both spouses have to put considerable effort into making a marriage work in order to prevent an empty-shell marriage from gradually developing.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

The Replica Watches are of high quality and are made using durable stainless steel. They come in an attractive black color complete with a watch bracelet that is made of crocodile leather.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Marriage Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Relationships | Marriage
Sign Up for a free account.
Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum
Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap
New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

counter easy hit

Powered by Article Dashboard