Marriage, and Marital Problems and Solutions from the Perspective of Couples in Arranged Marriage

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find out the opinions of couples in arranged marriage on marriage, problems encountered in marriage, and how to resolve problems and conflicts in marriage. In this study, the phenomenological approach – a qualitative research model – was adopted to define fully meanings attributed to the phenomenon of marriage by couples in arranged marriage. The study was conducted with a total of twelve participants, i.e. six couples in arranged marriage reached by six candidates that attended the family counseling certificate program delivered by a public-funded university in the Eastern Turkey in 2017-2018 academic year. The research data were records of interviews with couples analyzed through document analysis. Content analysis was conducted for descriptive analysis of the data. The results suggest that couples’ evaluation of marriage fall under three major themes. Furthermore, subthemes were identified under each theme. It was also found out that the participants’ opinions varied by gender. Considering the medical, psychological and social effects of marriage, it is of particular importance to conduct multidimensional analyses of marriage for building a healthy society.