psyc
...c and religious aspects, then the behavior involved in enacting the ritual becomes attached to values in the belief system. · Rituals are considered to affirm relationships, connect behaviors with values, and involve a symbolic component. · Researchers have measured religion in a variety of ways on its effects on marital satisfaction. Some examples are similarity in religious affiliation, Church attendance and religious beliefs, and how important religion was to a family as a marker of religiousness. PURPOSE · The purpose of the study was to examine the relation between the practice of religious holiday rituals and marital satisfaction as well as to place current religious practices within the context of family-of-origin rituals. · Family-of-origin just means that some believe there may be a generational continuity to family customs and rituals PARTICIPANTS · 120 families · average years married 9.5 · all families had one child of at least preschool age 90% Caucasian 3% African American 2% Hispanic 5% Asian 51% Catholic 34% Protestant 3% Jewish 7% other 5% no affiliation PROCEDURE · Parents were asked to fill out a series of questionnaires, including the Family Ritual Questionnaire. · Husbands and wives were instructed to complete the questionnaire independently. · Couples were interviewed together about the relative importance of religion in their families as they were growing up and in their current family. During the interview couples were asked how important religion was in the family in which they grew up and in their current family. · After husbands and wives described their family of origin, they were asked whether religion was not at all 1)somewhat, 2)very important, 3) in their respective family of origin. After husbands and wives briefly described their current family they were asked whether religion was not at all somewhat, or very important, in their current family. RESULTS and DISCUSSION · Overall approximately one third of the husbands and wives considered religion to be very important in the families in which they grew up, and approximately half of the couples reported that religion was very important in their current family. The study also found that husband and wife marital satisfaction was not related to religious importance but was related to husband and wife report of religious holiday ritual meaning in the current family. Also, wives’ report of the roles and routines associated with religious holiday celebrations was positively related to their marital satisfaction. There was symbolic meaning between religious holiday rituals and marital satisfaction. · There was some continuity of religious holiday rituals across generations, which played an indirect ...