The American fixation with marriage, so prevalent in today's
debates over marriage for same-sex couples, owes much of its
intensity to a small group of reformers who introduced Americans to
marriage counseling in the 1930s. Today, millions of couples seek
help to save their marriages each year. Over the intervening
decades, marriage counseling has powerfully promoted the idea that
successful marriages are essential to both individuals' and the
nation's well-being.
Rebecca Davis reveals how couples and counselors transformed the
ideal of the perfect marriage as they debated sexuality, childcare,
mobility, wage earning, and autonomy, exposing both the fissures
and aspirations of American society. From the economic dislocations
of the Great Depression, to more recent debates over
government-funded "Healthy Marriage" programs, counselors have
responded to the shifting needs and goals of American couples.
Tensions among personal fulfillment, career aims, religious
identity, and socioeconomic status have coursed through the history
of marriage and explain why the stakes in the institution are so
fraught for the couples involved and for the communities to which
they belong.
Americans care deeply about marriages their own and other
people's because they have made enormous investments of time,
money, and emotion to improve their own relationships and because
they believe that their personal decisions about whom to marry or
whether to divorce extend far beyond themselves. This intriguing
book tells the uniquely American story of a culture gripped with
the hope that, with enough effort and the right guidance, more
perfect marital unions are within our reach.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!