COUPLE INTERVIEW

You are asked to interview a couple who has beenmarried or cohabitating forat least five continuous years and write a paperwhich summarizes both the interview content and your personalobservations and thoughts about the relationship. The interviewmust be conducted with both parties present at the same time andthe interview must be a minimum of 45 minutes long.

Use the following outline to structure your interview andpaper:

I. Introduction: Introduceyour topic (marriage and family life) and include information aboutthe couple. Be sure to use a fictitious name to protect theconfidentiality of the couple. Include information about the couplesuch as; race, religion, ethnicity, ages, years together as acouple, number and ages of children (if any), how long have youknown them, why did you select them, is this a same-sex couple,inter-faith, inter-racial, etc.

II. Body: Address thefollowing issues at a minimum:

A. The history of the relationship – how did they meet, what wasthe initial attraction, what made them decide to commit to along-term relationship, etc.?

B. How do they structure their family – traditional vs.non-traditional roles, occupational and child care concerns, etc.?Be sure to refer to your textbook for appropriate terms anddefinitions.

C. How do they communicate? Pay attention to their statementsand body language, as well as your personal observations andexperiences. How do they make family decisions?

D. What have been the most challenging times in theirrelationship? How have they worked through those issues?

III. Analysis:  Address the followingitems, at a minimum:

A. Do you consider this to be a successful relationship? Why orwhy not?

B. What “type” of marriage or relationship would you categorizethis relationship to be? Explain your answer.

C. What qualities of this relationship would you like to have inyour own relationship? How would you create these qualities in yourrelationship? What type of efforts would you be willing to make toretain those qualities in your relationship?

D. What qualities would you want to avoid? How would you avoidthem? What preventative measure would you take in yourrelationships?

E. What have you learned about committed relationships from yourinterview with this couple? How will you apply this information toyour personal life?