In this paper, I fulfilled an analysis of the three most essential ideas that were presented in the Marriage and Family class. I found these ideas useful for helping marriages in our country provided an adjustment to Islamic culture. Finally, I gave feedback on the course.
In this course, a high number of important thoughts and ideas regarding marriage were presented. Of those, I chose three that had the greatest impact on my thinking: the idea that individual work matters for a marriage, that economic factor has a serious influence, and that gender roles in a family are often unequal.
The first idea to be analyzed is that not only mutual work and cooperation but individual work with one’s temper and behavior is necessary for a successful marriage. In “Four Keys to Improving Marriage,” the need to understand one’s own anger cycle and to develop a skill of calming oneself was emphasized, and in “Problems in Communication and Trust” it was said that one needs to understand their own feelings before building trust to a partner. This idea is highly important since many people believe that marriage needs mutual work only. It is essential to keep in mind that mutual work would not be effective if individual work is not performed previously to it.
The second idea is that the economic factor is significant in shaping a marriage. In “Choosing Partners,” the value of wealth in choosing a partner was emphasized. In “Divorce,” the financial consequences of a divorce were indicated. In “Intimate Violence,” economic factor was listed as one of the reasons for victims to stay with their abuser. It is essential to keep his idea in mind. Despite the conviction that marriage depends mostly on the quality of interpersonal relationships, it is important that we remember about the impact of the level of income, economic dependence, and a difference between the incomes of the spouses since such factors can ruin a marriage even if interpersonal relationships are effective.
The third idea is that, despite the strive for equality, gender roles in most families are still different, and that has to be taken into consideration. In “Marital Commitment,” it was established that it is mostly women who stop working after a child is born. In “Intimate Violence,” it is acknowledged that women, especially disadvantaged ones, become abuse victims more often than men. The idea is most fully expressed in “Men’s and Women’s Roles in Families and Work,” where the difference between the roles and the effect of the change is indicated. It is especially important that future specialists in marriage and family understand that gender equality is but an ideal nowadays, and to do the real work to help families, it is necessary to understand how families look in reality.
In my opinion, the mentioned ideas can be successfully employed to help marriage and family in our country. The idea that individual work with one’s mind does matter for one’s marriage should be popularized and spread, as well as it should be considered by psychotherapists while giving recommendations to their clients. This will have a positive impact on solving family problems. The idea that economic conditions matter for marriage should be spread as well.
If people (especially young ones) will take this factor into consideration, for instance, they will try to find a well-paid work prior to marriage or will avoid economic dependence. It will benefit marriages and reduce the number of divorces. Finally, it is essential that married people understand how the roles in their family are assigned and what responsibilities these roles entail. Such an understanding will be helpful in dealing with conflicts and prevent an unjust distribution of responsibilities. These ideas need some adjustment to the situation in the UAE. It should be remembered that Islamic culture places some restrictions on the status of women and give higher responsibilities to their husbands. The norms of Islamic law regarding family should be taken into consideration while implementing these ideas.
Having completed the course, I would like to note the comprehensive approach, the abundance of practical recommendations, and professionalism. The course was not only interesting but also quite relevant to my own interests. Aside from the above-mentioned important ideas, I was deeply impressed by the multicultural approach (the understanding of marriage and family in different cultures was presented).
Additionally, I appreciated the clarity and integrity of the offered material and the attention to the details, which allowed me to understand and process it successfully, as well as gain new skills. The course was rather helpful, and it provided me with a sound foundation for my future studies and, probably, work. I suppose I will consider taking similar courses in the future to enhance my abilities and expand my knowledge on the subject further.
In conclusion, I found that three of the ideas presented in this class were most important and relevant to the situation in the UAE with an adjustment to Islamic culture. I generally approve of the approaches and presentation of the material in this course.