Forming love relationships, marriage and family.

● Outline FOUR qualities in a potential mate that would be most attractive to you.

● Which mate selection theory makes the most sense to you and the “type” of person you are attracted

to?

● Outline FOUR deal breakers in a potential mate ( Explain why)

● What strategy would you use to meet people, if you did not happen to meet them by chance?

● Before fully committing to someone in a relationship (marriage/cohabitation, starting a family) what

would you like to have in place? (Career? Home? Free of debt?)

● What do you see as your role/responsibility in caring for aging or ill parents?

From this interview example add more data, ask more questions so you can get a better understanding of the couples motivations and thoughts surround the other. Try and write the resposnes exactly as they are said, and not draw conclusions based on the first few responses. Also, try to find out more anecdotal information- religion? education level. Add more information to write a well developed case study.

Interview Questions: 1. How did you two meet?

2. What were your thoughts and feelings when you first met each other?

3. How did you know you were interested in the other person?

4. What qualities first attracted you to each other?

5. Did you have a specific idea of what you were looking for in a partner?

6. How long did it take for you to decide to commit to a long term relationship?

7. What challenges have you faced in your relationship, and how did you overcome them?

8. Were you able to smoothly integrate into one another’s family?

Anecdotal Notes:

Participants: M and N

Age: Both in their mid-20s

Gender: Male and female

Race/ethnicity: East African (Ethiopia) / East African ( Tanzania)

Responses:

1. N and M met through mutual friends at a party. ( “Me and M met through like mutual

friends at a party.”)

2. N thought M was pretty, while M found N to be smart and funny. (“ I thought M was very pretty to me for some reason, and I found N smart and funny.”)

3. They both felt an immediate connection and started talking for hours at the party. (“ We both kept on looking at each other and I don’t know we both felt this connection and after we started talking for a very long time.”)

4. N was attracted to M’s sense of humor and intelligence, while M was attracted to N’s confidence and good looks.

5. Both N and M had a general idea of what they wanted in a partner, but they were open to meeting someone who didn’t fit in all of their criteria.

6. It took them about 6 months to decide to commit to a long-term relationship.

7. They faced some challenges early on in their relationship, such as learning how to communicate effectively

8. They said “we were able to integrate into each other’s families fairly smoothly,although there were some cultural differences that we had to navigate. Overall, our families have been very supportive of our relationship.

Case Study:

N and M’s relationship can be explained by several theories. One theory is the principle of homogamy, which suggests that people are attracted to those who share similar characteristics. N and M both come from similar backgrounds and share similar interests and values, which may have contributed to their initial attraction. Another theory is social exchange theory, which suggests that people choose partners who offer them the greatest rewards and fewest costs. N and M may have seen each other as valuable and desirable partners who could offer them emotional support, companionship, and other benefits that outweigh any challenges of being in a relationship.

In what ways has the evolution of technology impacted the way people communicate and maintain relationships, and what are some potential long-term consequences of these changes?

Answer these questions pretending a healthy couple is in a interview:

How did you and your partner first meet?

What caught your attention about your partner?

Did you have a certain type that you were interested in? If so, did your partner meet this criteria?

What do you love most about your partner?

What is the strongest part of your relationship?

Did you have any deal breakers?

How did you know that you were ready to commit to this person?

Were you able to smoothly integrate into one another's family? If not, what were the biggest challenges?