Attitudes Toward Divorce,Commitment, and Divorce Proneness in First Marriages and Remarriages

A random multistate sample of married individuals (N = 1,931) was used to explore whether more positive attitudes toward divorce and weaker commitment to marriage may contribute to the greater instability of remarriages than first marriages. Remarried adults, whether or not they brought children from a previous union into the remarriage, reported marital quality (happiness and conflict) equal to those in first marriages. They also reported more positive attitudes toward divorce, which were associated with higher divorce proneness (i.e., thinking about and taking actions toward divorce). Marriage type interacted with marital quality to predict divorce proneness, such that the association between low marital quality and divorce proneness was stronger for remarried individuals than for those in first marriages. This suggests that remarried adults may be more likely than adults in first marriages to take steps toward divorce when experiencing marital distress, possibly reflecting a weaker commitment to marriage.     

Reasons for (Non)engagement in Infidelity

This investigation examined reasons for (un)faithfulness. Driven by interdependence theory, data from 220 undergraduates at a southwestern U.S. university indicate that men have more relational alternatives than women and individuals’ relational investments tied to relational stage as well as length of relationship. Significant predictors of infidelity among men and women are quality of alternatives, believing that sex occurs early in a relationship, and having been cheated on (applied to men only). Quality of alternatives predicted cheating among seriously dating individuals, whereas marrieds reported the strongest predictor of cheating as being cheated on. Fear of sanctions related to cheating but not to commitment. Legal sanctions motivated monogamy for men but not women. Participants reported over 500 reasons to remain faithful and over 1,000 reasons to cheat.     

Spirituality,Sacrifice, and Relationship Quality for Expectant Cohabitors

Given negative effects of cohabitation, we examine negative (ambivalence, conflict) and positive (commitment, satisfaction) relationship quality, as explained by perceptions of ease of relational sacrifices and spirituality, for unmarried cohabitors expecting their first child (46 individuals). Controlling for race/ethnicity and education, perceived ease of relational sacrifice was associated with greater satisfaction and lower ambivalence and conflict, whereas spirituality was not associated with any of the relationship quality variables. Examined together, greater ease of relational sacrifice and higher spirituality were associated with greater commitment and satisfaction and lower ambivalence and conflict. Given that many studies of cohabitation focus on demographic factors and that many studies of spirituality focus on married couples, the current study expands knowledge regarding relationship quality for nontraditional couples.     

Commitment and Sacrifice in Emerging Adult Romantic Relationships

The development of commitment and satisfaction with sacrifice has been associated with relationship health and stability. Given the importance of early romantic relationships, the purpose of the present study was to explore how these constructs relate and develop in an emerging adult population (n = 246). Through an initial confirmatory factor analysis, we found the two constructs can be distinct. Then, using interdependence theory and a cross-lagged model over three time points, we found support for a bidirectional relationship between commitment and satisfaction with sacrifice. In addition, we found a main effect for relationship length and instability (i.e., cycling) on Time 1 and Time 3 dedication respectively.     

Associations Between Marital Meaning and Reasons to Delay Marriage for Young Adults in Romantic Relationships

Using symbolic interactionism we developed an open-ended question to examine marital meaning for young adults (N = 111). Themes to emerge were love and commitment. Participants were placed into clusters: contractual (low love, high commitment), optimistic-realistic (high love, high commitment), romanticizing (high love, low commitment), and casual (low love, low commitment). We examined marital meaning and associations with reasons to delay marriage, conceptualized as relational doubts and financial concerns. Optimistic-realistic and casual individuals reported fewer relational doubts than contractual individuals. Longer relationship length was associated with fewer financial concerns for optimistic-realistic individuals when compared with all others. We conclude that although love and commitment are central to marital meaning, for some, specific pairings of these themes have implications in understanding reasons young adults delay marrying.     

“No Matter What,Good or Bad,Love is Still There”: Motivations for Romantic Commitment Among Black Cohabiting Couples

Given the increasing number of couples that use cohabitation as a pathway or alternative to marriage, few studies to date have examined the factors that facilitate relationship entry and commitment. Recent study findings reveal children born to Black mothers as compared with White mothers have a 72% higher risk of experiencing their parents’ separation by year 3 and Black married parents have 5.33 times the risk of separating within 3 years after their child's birth relative to White married parents. However, few studies to date have examined the factors that increase the likelihood that cohabiting Black couples will enter and remain in a committed relationship. To fill the current void that exists in the literature and through the use of phenomenology as the foundation, I asked 30 low-income cohabiting Black couples the following question: “What do you think motivated your partner to commit to you?” Qualitative analysis of the responses revealed the following six themes: (1) no response/unsure, (2) physical appearance, (3) emotional and tangible support, (4) honesty and friendship, (5) love and commitment, and (6) personality and treatment. Implications for practitioners, policy, and research are also provided.     

情感教育目标体系下高校贫困生感恩意识内化的路径分析

从分析当前高校贫困生感恩意识缺失的原因出发,就高校的情感教育及情感教育目标体系构建,以及情感教育理念下对高校贫困生感恩意识培养的目标层次进行了系统研究,同时对高校贫困生感恩意识内化的路径从实践的角度作以探讨。     

网络教育中应对情感缺失的策略分析综述

网络教育中师生分离和生生分离的状态使学习者的情感交流存在障碍,容易产生孤独及焦躁情绪,从而间接导致对网络教育的质疑。借助北京邮电大学网络教育学院2009年春季学期工作档案所获取的一手调查数据,首先阐述情感缺失现象,进而分析梳理造成情感缺失的原因;然后综述分析相关文献,形成典型情感补偿策略作为理论指导;最后结合Web2．0商业应用提出具体应对实践建议,以期能够缓解网络教学环境下学生情感缺失问题。     

公共与私营部门人员组织承诺水平比较及管理意涵——国内外实证研究之述论

组织承诺是组织行为学中长期以来受到热烈关注的议题之一,然而以公共与私营部门人员为对象进行比较的研究并不多见。本文从过去国内外公共与私营部门人员组织承诺的比较实证研究中,分析梳理了组织承诺的概念、结构与变量。研究结果发现,各地研究者使用的结构测量、探讨的相关变量及得到的结果并不一致。然而这些研究结果隐含着丰富的理论与管理意涵,也有值得继续深入分析探讨的必要性。最后在此基础上提出了进一步的研究方向。     

基于学生情感发展的德育新探索

本文以教育目标分类学理论中的情感目标理论为研究基点,以当今现代社会的迅猛发展所产生出来的种种情感新观为背景案例,试图在人类情感形成的规律中探索提升德育有效性的办法,并以此指导德育工作者如何根据学生的情感发展变化进行适时、适量的思想道德教育活动,以期构建出契合学生情感发展的德育新模式。