Abstract
This paper discusses that, in Whitaker and Napier's examination of process of family therapy, the authors find that the most progressive way of exploring conflict within families is structured through the family systems model, in which all behaviors of the family are addressed in order to assess the sense of commonality that unites the different aspects of the family.

From the Paper
"A family is a complex natural social system complete with its own properties and processes. As in any system no part stands alone and no process operates without influencing, to a greater or lesser degree, every other process and every component of the system. Social Work assessments and interventions cannot, therefore, be based on the consideration of any individual or process in isolation. A review of four components of family systems--patterns of interaction, boundaries, rules, and homeostasis--demonstrates how these variables influence each other and how an understanding of these systemic interrelationships is crucial to those conducting Social Work assessments and designing interventions.

Family systems evolve rules, roles, and power structures as well as the various forms of communication, conflict resolution.."

Abstract
This paper examines how the family is a basic unit of society and is usually regarded not only as indispensable but as the key element in socialization processes and in the perpetuation of societal values. It looks at how the family has been the basic unit of society from ancient times to the present and how although different cultures may view the family and certain kinship in a differing light, the basic family unit is a near-universal social reality, with the nuclear family of parents and children a norm understood by virtually everyone. It evaluates the changing status of the family over the years and analyzes how the nuclear family seems to be disappearing in a world where divorce and unwed motherhood are occurring at high rates.

From the Paper
"Many who feel family values are being lost are indeed making a value judgment on the new notion of the family. They see the traditional nuclear family as "the" family and any variation on that as a challenge to family values, thus excluding what Rubin would include--single-parent households, gay and lesbian households, couples without children, people who have children and live together without ever marrying, and members of divorced families, remarried families, blended families, and extended families (Rubin 19). Clearly, one reason people believe family values are disappearing is because they have a narrow definition of what constitutes a family and its values in the first place."

Tags:divorce, unwed, motherhood, children, household

Abstract
"Interracial marriage between Black and White Americans does not make up a very large percentage of the total number of marriages in the United States. But the impact of the these marriages on society--as well as on the participants and, especially, their children--is much greater than numbers might suggest.

From the Paper
"Interracial marriage between Black and White Americans does not make up a very large percentage of the total number of marriages in the United States. But the impact of the these marriages on society--as well as on the participants and, especially, their children--is much greater than numbers might suggest. The level of racism in America--which is largely responsible for the small number of Black-White marriages in the first place--has declined considerably in recent decades. But racism persists at outrageous levels and the children of interracial marriages will suffer from it no less than the children of African-American families. A discussion of the effects of interracial marriage on children will follow a brief description of the state of interracial marriage in America; including a summary of forces that worked against it in the past,..."

Abstract
This paper investigates how women's choices were severely limited in Catholic France of the 16th century, using as a source "The Return of Martin Guerre". Even though the main character had been abandoned by her husband for many years, according to law she could not seek a divorce. This examination shows how the growing influence of Protestantism and its more liberal views of marriage influenced the choices of the characters in the book, as well as those of everyone in Reformation Europe.

From the Paper
"Marriages of the time, even among peasants, were often arranged more for economic reasons than for any idea of romantic love. There is no evidence presented in the book that Bertrande or Martin knew each other very well before getting married, much less that they were in love. The marriage was most likely arranged by their parents to maximize the economic resources of both families."

Tags:calvinism, depardieu, feudalism

Abstract
This paper is a literary critique about the novel "Pride and Prejudice". It comments on the view of marriage as portrayed through the characters in the novel.

From the Paper
"19th century England had serious social problems from the heyday of Royalty and Nobility. One of the most significant of these was the tendency to marry for money. A person sought a partner based on the dowry receivable and their allowance. This process went both ways: a beautiful woman might be able to snag a rich husband, or a charring and handsome man could woo a rich young girl. In these marriages, money was the only consideration. Love was left out, with the thought that it would develop as the years went by. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen comments that marriage in her time is a financial contract, where love is strictly a matter of chance. This is clearly evident from the very first line of the novel: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (Austen, 1). "

Tags:austen, jane, love, marriage, money, prejudice, pride, view

Abstract
This paper examines many of the different cultural views on marriage that exist today. It specifically examines the differences in views on the role of women, the legalization of same-sex marriage, views on multiple partners and the relationship between marriage and religion. The paper concludes that views on these issues can vary greatly between cultures.

From the Paper
"As noted previously, issues of religion often play a large role in the various views towards different aspects of marriage found in cultures (Erber & Erber, 2001). Religion is responsible, for example, for many of the differences in opinion concerning same-sex marriage. In addition, religion also can dictate the role a woman plays in marriage, and the extent to which religion guides the laws of the land often influences the laws concerning women in marriage. Thus, countries with more singular religions, such as Muslim countries, often have all of their legal laws dictated by a single religion, and as such, their laws often prohibit certain behaviours within marriage, such as the empowerment of women, divorce or same-sex marriage (Erber & Erber, 2001). On the other hand, some religions permit even more 'liberal' views of marriage, and if these religions form the law of the land, often times it is possible find the legalization of multiple partners, or polygamy. However, polygamy often acts in favour of men, with men being allowed to take multiple wives but women not being allowed to have multiple husbands. It is clear that often a culture's views on marriage are determined by the culture's relationship with religion."

Tags:relationships, divorce, family, partners

Abstract
This paper examines how in Margaret Lawrence's novel, "The Fire Dwellers", the predominant theme of female gender struggles manifests itself in the personal insecurities, abuse, and family struggles that the main character must confront. It looks at how through the use of points of views and imagery, Margaret Lawrence portrays this epic struggle of a household wife in her traditional role as caretaker of the family.

From the Paper
"As a struggling homemaker and caretaker of the family, Stacy is a woman who is a victim of her own self-insecurity. The author, Margaret Lawrence, wrote in Stacy's point of view to allow the reader to captivate and embody the tragic feelings of the self-worthlessness and isolation that Stacy suffers, thereby allowing them to fully apprehend the battle she must confront against her own inner demons. Even Stacy herself readily admits that she has problems accepting herself, which is only the beginning of her own self-demise, "Everything would be all right if only I was better educated. I mean, if I were. Or if I were beautiful. Okay, that's asking too much. Let's say if I took off ten or so pounds." Her lack of confidence in her physical self and pessimistic attitude leads to the beginnings of paranoia and insanity. "

Tags:feminism, stacy, victim, abuse

Abstract
This paper relates that the symbols or motifs of sunlight and moonlight are used, in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper", to bespeak the narrator's true feelings about gender roles and repression not only within her marriage and her society but also within herself. The author points out that, in the beginning of this story, shortly after describing the house, the narrator makes her first references to sunlight and moonlight and reveals how they have an effect on her behavior. The paper relates that the moonlight and daylight do not merely influence the narrator's behavior but also how she perceives her surroundings, such as the wallpaper. The paper stresses that Gilman does not use sunlight and moonlight to represent the masculine repressing the feminine, but rather, she uses sunlight to reflect the oppressive force that can be found in a woman who feels suffocated and burdened by the traditional roles of her gender.

From the Paper
"The evening and the day, as she complains, have an effect on more than just her conduct, but also on her appetite; she has good appetite in the evening, and suffers from poor appetite in the morning. In this manner, it is established in the beginning that by moonlight, or in the evening, she is not only inclined to subtly rebel against her role as a submissive wife, but furthermore, it is in the night that she is inclined to satisfy her appetite for basic human needs-- of which food may only be one. And yet, the narrator's husband is not the only one who wishes that she subdues herself, as she does by daylight."

Tags:behavior, surroundings, appetite, wallpaper, subdue

Abstract
This paper examines the following marriages in George Elliot's "Middlemarch": Dorothea to Casaubon, Rosamond to Lydgate, Celia to Sir James Chettam and Frank to Mary. It compares and contrasts these relationships with typical unions of the era. It provides a view of conventional social expectations of marriage in the early nineteenth century.

From the Paper
" "Men marry because they are tired; women because they are curious. Both are disappointed." (Wilde 436). Marriage, or a partnership between a husband and a wife, is in the present day often a union entered into by two adults on the basis of attraction, compatibility, and love. In the nineteenth century marriage was not the same as it is today. Women were expected to take the role of an inferior to their husbands, and pass from dependence on their parents into submission to their spouse (Petrie 185). Marriage was often not a choice for women of that era. Most schools had not begun accepting females, and employment for single women was limited and perceived as disgraceful (Knickerbocker 174). Present day marriages are based on the union of social equals, with a greater emphasis on love, affection and individuality, a tradition that began in Europe during the time when Eliot wrote the novel (Goody 102). The relationships between Dorothea and Casaubon, Rosamond and Lydgate, Celia and Sir Chettam, and Frank and Mary, are representative of that century's ideals; woman's inferiority, accomplishments, and marriage within the neighborhood (Thompson 111). The marriages in George Eliot's Middlemarch are characteristic of the different pairings that were typical in the early nineteenth century."

Tags:british, eliot, english, female, george, literature, marriage, middlemarch, nineteenth, novels, relationships, women