Should We Stay Together?

The fact is, some couples need more time to mature, some need to work through specific issues, and some should never be together. But how do you know? What factors add up to success-or failure-in a relationship? Author Jeffry Larson knows; in fact, he knows a lot about what predicts a happy marriage. Based on Larson's twenty-plus years of research and experience in marriage and family therapy, Should We Stay Together?debunks many time-honored myths as it provides couples with the tools they need to make better decisions and thoroughly explore every aspect of their relationship. From individual characteristics, idiosyncratic family histories, unresolved conflicts and needs, and combined strengths and weaknesses, this step-by-step scientific method for relationship evaluation-based on the highly accurate RELATE premarital assessment questionnaire-will help couples understand the specific traits that predict a satisfying-or disastrous-relationship.

Foreward by Robert F. Stahmann, Ph.D. Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. Myths About Preparing for Marriage. 2. The Marriage Triangle: Three Factors That Predict Your Future Marital Satisfaction. 3. The Marriage Triangle, Factor 1: Your Individual and Relationship Contexts. 4. The Marriage Triangle, Factor 2: Your Individual Traits. 5. The Marriage Triangle, Factor 3: Your Couple Traits. 6. Your Own Personal Marriage Triangle - Putting the Three Factors Together. 7. Whom and When Not to Marry! 8. Other Resources for Marriage Preparation. In Conclusion. Notes. The Author.