Why Marriage Still Matters

This chapter provides an overview of Marital Paradigm Theory, which serves as the backbone for the remainder of the book. Marital paradigm theory suggests that every person has a collection of beliefs and values about marriage that shape his or her behavior. The authors discuss how emerging adults are broadly thinking about marriage and describes three main themes derived from the interviews with emerging adults: marriage as proof of commitment, marriage as a “piece of paper,” and marriage and the importance of romantic love. The authors emphasize that despite the prevalence of the three themes identified, there is no longer a universal way that emerging adults think about marriage.