Marital Expectations in Strong African American Marriages

Abstract

The current exploratory study utilized a family strengths framework to identify marital expectations in 39 strong African American heterosexual marriages. Couples reflected on their marital expectations over their 10 or more years of marriage. Three themes emerged through qualitative analysis and the participants' own words were used in the presentation of the themes. African Americans indicated that there was growth in marital expectations over time, with marital expectations often beginning with unrealistic expectations that grew into more realistic expectations as their marriages progressed. Participants also indicated that core expectations in strong African American marriages included open communication, congruent values, and positive treatment of spouse. Finally, participants explained there is an "I" in marriage as they discussed the importance of autonomy within their marital relationships. Results are discussed in association with existing research and theory.

Black Marriages Matter: Wisdom and Advice From Happily Married Black Couples

“…However, hope is one thing, and expectations are another. Only one recent study has focused on relationship expectations within strong Black marriages (Vaterlaus et al, 2017), and there is a lack of published studies sharing marital advice from those Black couples who have personally attained strong marriages. One important factor in countering the barriers to a successful marriage is understanding the benefits of a strong Black marriage.…”

Determinants of Marital Satisfaction from Married Individuals’ Perspectives in Addis Ababa: A Qualitative Study

“…Particularly, the family strengths perspective and the positive psychology movement play essential roles in identifying the qualities that strengthen marital relationships (Braithwaite et al, 2011). For instance, scholars have identified positive qualities such as open communication, positive treatment of spouses, and forgiveness as crucial factors for a satisfying and successful marital life (Fincham & Beach, 2010;Skogrand et al, 2016;Timothy-Springer & Johnson, 2018). An investigation of marital relationships from a strengths-based perspective shows some progress in recent times.…”

“…An investigation of marital relationships from a strengths-based perspective shows some progress in recent times. For instance, A strength-based study among African American couples identified positive qualities of marital satisfaction, such as communication, positive treatment of the spouse, congruent values, spirituality, and collaboration (Vaterlaus et al, 2017). Similarly, scholars have shifted their focus from marital conflicts and distress to the investigation of positive marital behaviors (Aydogan & Dincer, 2020;Aydogan & Kizildag, 2017;Fincham et al, 2011;Lenger et al, 2016).…”