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Chapter 8

emotionallyleavethemarriage.Therapists
havefoundthateveninmarriagesof 20to
30years,theotherspouseoftenclaimsto
havenoknowledgeof thisproblemuntil
themarriageisabouttoend.

Core Task: Contract

The contract task in the middle years is
for the couple to rework their expectations
and reexamine the bargains they have
made with each other over the years.
While reworking expectations can be very
positive and healthy in a marriage,it can
also prove disastrous if this examination
does not cause the couple to make positive
changes in their relationship (Nichols &
Pace-Nichols,1993).

Other Midlife Issues

Marital Satisfaction

Sincethe1970s,researchhasindicatedthe

levelofsatisfactioninamarriageresemblesa

shallowU-shapedcurve,asportrayedin

Figure8.2.Inthisgraph,itappearsmarital

satisfactiondecreaseswiththebirthofachild

andincreaseswhenthechildrenarelaunched

(Rollins&Feldman,1970;Olson&DeFrain,

2006;Olsonetal.,1983).Childrenareonly

partlyresponsibleforthisdeclineinmarital

satisfaction,however(Cowanetal.,1985).In

chapter5,wesawthatthelevelofpassion

fallsoffearlyinamarriage,contributingtoa

feelingoflesssatisfaction.Otherlife-cycle

factorsofgenerallifesatisfactionhavebeen

showntohavean

effectonmarital

satisfaction(Dush,

Taylor,&Kroeger,

2008)Theseinclude

work-familystrain,

competitionfor

advancementat

work,andthe

financialburdens

whichfrequently

occuraroundthe

timechildrenare

beingbornintothe

family(purchaseofa

home,acar,

furniture,for

Figure 8.2

Marital Satisfaction Curve

Source:Olson,et al.,1983,179.

54

53

52

51

50

49

Husbands

Mean Scores

Couple without children

Couple with babies and preschoolers

Couple with school age childrenCouple with adolescent childrenCouple“launching”children“Empty-nest”couple without

children at home

Retired couple

Wives

Stages of the Family Life Cycle