Examine Your Marriage

You can make certain of the strength or the weakness of the marital bond by answering honestly the questions set out in this short examination. Although these questions are built on foundations belonging to psychology, the sounding of the depths of this complicated subject cannot be contained in this narrow corner; it needs a wider space for expressing your personal opinion at length. Nevertheless, your answers will give you an indication of the truths and the falsities in your marriage.

Mark each of the following statements "true" or "false":

1 - There is no need for distress or concern if your marriage fails, because you can obtain a divorce easily.

2 - A happy marriage requires similarity in the interests of the two spouses.

3 - A successful marriage requires economic security.

4 - Woman is incapable of excess in physical love as man is.

5 - After several years of marriage, the attraction between the two spouses lessens.

6 - If strong love does not continue between the two spouses, their marriage is headed for extinction.

7 - To preserve steadiness, and to keep love from being pressed into drudgery, the two spouses must regulate their relations together.

8 - Children hinder a marriage more than they help it.

9 - The straying wife deserves blame more than the straying man.

10 - Love is a game.

11 - The husband's doing certain household tasks, such as fixing a shelf or repairing a room, and the wife's mastery, on her side, of every kind of good cooking, help preserve true marital happiness.

12 - The two spouses must spend their holidays together.

13 - Marriage is a somewhat noble thing (choose one of the following points):

a - Marriage is a majestic thing, because it is a heavenly institution, sanctified by God.

b - It assures the preservation of the species and the survival of the nation.

c - It joins man and woman in an ideal companionship.

(Answers on page 50)

(Published on page 23)

(Give a point for each answer; the total of the points you choose is your mark)

1 - False: this attitude may keep the partner in the marriage from making the effort to overcome the difficulties threatening the marital bond.

2 - False: while common interests support the marital foundations, we observe that many couples successful in their life differ in interest and in taste; indeed, similar interests may be dangerous to a marriage, since they lead to psychological strain and irksome rivalry.

3 - False: this helps somewhat, but couples who believe in the authority of the mind can do without it.

4 - False: if our answer to this were yes, we would have strayed toward something resembling error and incompetence, which harms the shared happiness.

5 - False: this feeling may change, but it need not weaken.

6 - False: what shall we say of those advanced in years? That attraction fades away, and in its place come complete reliance, respect, mutual friendship, and shared inclinations.

7 - False: routine is tedious, and forced effort exhausts the strength of both.

8 - False: as the statistics have shown.

9 - False.

10 - False: neglecting the side of love weakens the marriage vows.

11 - False: this helps, but many women are not skilled at cooking and have nevertheless become ideal wives.

12 - False: spending a holiday now and then each in a separate direction helps to strengthen the marital foundations.

13 - The truth lies in letter (c), for it points to the noblest aim of an ideal marriage.