The Psychology of Men and Marriage, Research Proposal Example

Introduction

This research paper will address the psychology of men and marriage. In particular why many modern marriages end up in separation and divorce. What are the underlying psychological causations. There is no doubt that many young couples starting out on married life. Need some degree of help in facing the challenges that lie ahead. There is a bridge that needs to be built with recognition for the equality of women and the right to have a career, whilst being empathetic men in understanding their changing role. Empirical research will involve the use of surveys and questionnaires from a cross-sample of society with an aim at examination of trends and correlations. By understanding the different factors of causation it is hoped to produce a model of remedial action statements.

Purpose

The purpose of the research is to understand the psychological considerations that underpin the high rates of divorce and marital separation in the USA. The first part of Ronald Levant’s book, “A new psychology of men” (Levant R.F. and Pollack, 1995), focuses upon gender roles strains. In the modern marriages we are seeing a lot of role reversal taking place. The wife is going out to work and having a career, essentially the money earner, whilst the husband is staying at home looking after the kids and dealing with domestic chores. Unless there is good synergy, communication and understanding in the marriage.

Summary Literature Review

The main academic research input will be provided of Ronald Levant’s book, “A new psychology of men” (Levant R.F. and Pollack, 1995)More modern interpretations will be provided by a review of peer reviewed journal articles and current text books in this area.

Scope

I will complete a number of structured questionnaires and arrange specific interview sessions with people who have been through separations and divorce. This will provide specific insight into the issues and problems that people faced. By means of structured questionnaires this will assist in both comparative analysis and determination of common factors of causation in marital or relationship break-ups. Marriage is considered a social contract, primarily because the issues that are involved extend beyond the concerns of purely the particular individuals. The children of the married couples are the future generations of which the whole society depends. In essence, the termination of the marriage contract is either a legal consideration or by death. In more modern marriages parties often seek legal contract terms that protect their financial assets i.e. in the event of separation or divorce. These are often referred to as ‘premarital or prenuptial agreements’. This type of arrangement is it’s often more common amongst wealthy or affluent couples, and second marriages. (rasul, I. 2012)

Method

The method will be based upon a qualitative approach. Qualitative research has a number of different focal points but in essence attempts to address a perspective of the attitude of people towards their behavioural traits, their value systems, their lifestyle and culture and their needs or desires. The diagram to the right illustrates how these concepts inter-relate with one another. The idea of this research method is to add shape or abstraction to unstructured states. (QSR International, 2011).

In summary qualitative research seeks to answer questions by the collection of evidence and accompanying research in an orderly and systematic way. Such finding not having a pre-determined result and may cover research that extends beyond the immediate bounds of the study. There are a number of different components in terms of how qualitative research studies are conducted but they include: (i) Participant Observation – this is the collection of data or information that occurs from a behavioural context (ii) Interviewing – normally in depth interviews that collect or gather personal data and provide such information as personal experiences, viewpoints or historical data (iii) Focus groups – essentially study groups that tend to elicit data on a broad overview of cultural norm topics. Such data normally takes the form of field notes, audio tapes, transcripts and more recently notes captured on computer tablets.

Theoretical Framework

I will be guided by an interpretive perspective of the data captured and focus on the underlying causation factors that lead to disruption or breakdown in the social relationship. Examination of both internal and external forces with use of root cause analysis models.

Limitations

Mainly limited to the sample size and geographical restrictions of the survey data

Implications

The boundaries of this study will be limited to the sample size and the geographical area selected for conducting this research.

References

Levant R.F. and Pollack, W. (1995). A new psychology of men. New York: Basic Books.

QSR International. (2011, 11 2). What is qualitative research. Retrieved from QSR International: http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx

Rasul, N. m. (2012, 1 24). the economics of the marriage contract:. Retrieved 12 2, 2011, from http://else.econ.ucl.ac.uk/papers/uploaded/306.pdf