Psychological Study: Divorce Rates in Autonomous vs Arranged Marriages

This research paper delves into the contrasting dynamics of autonomous (love) and arranged marriages, addressing the higher divorce rates often observed in autonomous unions. It explores the reasons behind the decline of arranged marriages due to compatibility issues and the growing desire for autonomy among modern couples. The paper critically examines the advantages and disadvantages of both marriage types, highlighting cultural stability in arranged marriages versus the emphasis on individual choice and romantic love in autonomous marriages. It also considers the impact of communication, self-disclosure, and responsiveness on marital satisfaction, ultimately providing a comprehensive overview of the psychological and cultural factors influencing marital success in both contexts. Desklib offers access to similar research papers and solved assignments for students.

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Abstract
Since the days of Freud, the query of love and the endeavour to describe it have sustained to
perplex wide range of psychologists and researchers. The development of a marriage has been
frequently conceptualised as one of the most intimate associations that individuals enter into,
predicated on particular assumptions of romantic love at the point of entry into the marriage.
While arranged and love marriages have been existing for a significant period of time, there have
been observed no comparative analyses in the economics literature of the relative qualities and
advantages of one or the other kind of marriage. The research paper has offered inclusive
insights regarding reasons of increased rates of divorce and separation among autonomous
marriage in comparison to arranged marriage. Furthermore, it has argued on the way arranged
marriage have been declining in recent times due to severe lack of compatibility and elevating
desire for autonomy arising among new age couples. Additionally, the paper has shed light on
the areas of advantages and disadvantages of both types of marital arrangements.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Autonomous Marriage Declining Rapidly in Comparison to Arranged Marriage......................3
Criticism of Arranged Marriage by Emphasizing on effectiveness of Autonomous Marriage...4
Benefits and Limitations of Arranged Marriage..........................................................................8
Advantages and Disadvantages of Autonomous Marriage..........................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Marriages of diverse countries or ethnic groups have been observed separately as an
illustration of society and family life with limited scope. Authors have noted that economic,
cultural along with political factors have contributed to the development of marriages. According
to Pande (2015), arranged marriage implies to the type of marital union where bride and groom
have been selected by third party instead of each other mostly elderly members of the family.
While, on the other hand, autonomous marriage has indicated to the group of young aged people
who primarily choose their own partners by their own will principally based on love,
compatibility and affection. Singh et al., (2016) have noted that in diverse cultures across the
world, marriage does not specifically imply to romance and affection but uniting with two
families who are of young age and lack experience. In arranged marriages, marital adjustments
primarily have referred to the state where there can be identified generalized feeling between
partners of happiness and satisfaction with their marriage with each other. The purpose of this
paper is to evaluate reasons of increased rates of divorce and separation among autonomous
marriage in comparison to arranged marriage. In addition to this, it will argue on the way
arranged marriage have been declining in recent times due to severe lack of compatibility and
elevating desire for autonomy arising among new age couples. Furthermore, it will highlight the
areas of advantages and disadvantages of both types of marital arrangements.

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Discussion
Autonomous Marriage Declining Rapidly in Comparison to Arranged Marriage
Self-arranged or autonomous marriages have acquired substantial significance in regions
and nations were parental and family arranged marriages have once been predominant. Chantler
(2014) has noted that the idea of dedicating an individual’s entire life have the propensity to
encounter several challenges. An arranged marriage recently has been thriving in recent times
due to the elevating rate of cross cultural impact and interpersonal conflict in autonomous
marriage. Reports of De Neve (2016) have revealed that global divorce rates for arranged
marriage has been estimated to be around 6% which is significantly low in comparison to self-
arranged or love marriage. In comparison to the 58% of marriages in the world that are arranged,
this low statistic has indicated to the successful percentage rate of arranged marriages.
Meanwhile, Singh et al. (2016) have stated that in contradiction to autonomous marital unions
which desire to obtain higher rate of self-dependence and higher compatibility rate, arranged
marriage primarily aim to support and preserve cultural stability of husband and wife along with
their families. As in love marriage, individuals tend to emphasize on evaluation criteria which
shed light on external attributes. However, these attributes tend to exhibit reduced rate of
orientation thus fails to contribute to enduring state of autonomous marital outcomes (Pande,
2015).
Criticism of Arranged Marriage by Emphasizing on effectiveness of Autonomous
Marriage
Allendorf and Pandian (2016) have stated that in recent times, arranged marriage has
been criticized significantly in the West. This considerable level of disparagement and

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denigration has risen due to its interference in interpersonal autonomy in addition to the
destabilization of individuals’ competence to choose for marrying for love and compatibility.
Comprehensive studies of Kashyap, Esteve and García-Román (2015) have noted that several
members of diverse cultural patterns which practice arranged marriage have typically been
critical of the tradition. Arranged marriage can be specifically challenging for women who have
been forced to get indulged in abusive and distressful partners as they show incompetence in
accomplishing of certain cultural or financial status. Furthermore, immense interference of
family has been viewed as primary cause of decline that is regarded as a theme universal to both
men and women. Marriage primarily dependent on romantic love has been identified as a
modern intervention in western world. In majority of world, especially those with collectivist
cultures, arranged marriages has sustained as a norm (Rubio, 2014). Evidences show that
marriages can be quite satisfying for the partners. Drawing relevance to the evidences, equity
theory has suggested that close relationships, friendships or romances tend to persist to the extent
that both individuals in the relationship has been involved with the assumption that they have
been shifting away from relationships tends to be proportional to efforts and inclination
contributed to the relationship (Shenk et al., 2016). Nonetheless, equity theory has encountered
challenges from various domains whereby relationship which has been strictly based on mutual
exchange such as arranged marriage can only be thought of as a business deal.
At this juncture, Khalili and Afkari (2017) have shed light on contextual choice that has
been regarded as highly imperative in considering the dynamics of arranged marriages.
Marriages arranged by families or especially parents typically tend to be viewed as an alien or
uninformed factor to Euro-American viewpoint as they explicitly rivet from a very initial stage
the significance of family, kin and society. The collectivist as well as multidimensional character

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of decision-making in these associations has been misconstrued to a certain degree of being
‘backward’ belief of marriage tradition that often fails to align to the West’s highly enlightened
form of marriage decisions (Yusefi & Barzgar, 2016). However, regardless of the
problematisation regarding to arranged marriage, there has been identified certain fundamentals
of the pure association that undergo, namely romantic love. Zarei and Sanaeimanesh (2014) have
shed light on Giddens’ support the place of romantic love as an element of pure relationships,
and further argued that pure relationships tend to shift away from conventional notions of
romantic love towards confluence. Comprehensive studies of Lu & Wang (2014) have noted that
confluent love primarily predetermines both expressive as well as sexual correspondence and
contentment but fails to presuppose permanency further severing the tie of romantic love to
heterosexuality. However on the contrary, romantic love tends to seek that one special person of
life by focusing on increased rate of compatibility and affection, with hero and heroines
controlling the cultural invented. Reports of Allendorf and Pandian (2016) have noted that
marriage rates in the UK have been declining, nevertheless the account of romantic love has been
strong and its attributes and qualities primarily appear to have endured the test of time. Thus has
been perceived as a pre-cursor to marriage. Bravo, Martínez and Ruiz (2014) have noted that in
recent times, individuals have been showing greater degree of inclination towards support self-
arranged marriage as arranged or self-arranged marriages have still been supposed to be devoid
of romantic love and more purposeful on related choices.
Furthermore, additionally Rubio (2014) have noted arranged marriages repeatedly
emphasized on the practical course and can be perceived as a form of opening agency as
prospective families within a specific community substitute certain attributes related to religion,
language or ethnic community thus removing individuals who fail to position themselves in the

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essential criteria. These factors have been regarded as rather reductionist and distant manner in
order to advance personal relationships and on the surface have drawn contradictions to
normative Western cultural practices of marriage. Arguably, as per the view of Singh et al.
(2016), factors related to lack of autonomy, compatibility and the privileging of rationality have
been leveraging majority of Western sensibilities to question the position arranged marriages as
alien and other.
Meanwhile, Yusefi and Barzgar (2016) have shed light on communication as an essential
requirement for the development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. Zarei and
Sanaeimanesh (2014) have pre-supposed that the most intimate relationships have been signified
as those attributed by greatest disclosure of information by self and other, and that this is
particularly true with regard to the disclosure of feelings. As marriage has been recognized as an
association whereby disclosure is expected to be far higher than in most other relationships,
sustainable love and affection have been highly crucial for thriving marriage. Shenk et al. (2016)
have noted that while partners in marital confluence exhibit genuine intimacy with each other,
they achieve significantly in greater predictability as well as stability in their relationship, an
emotional feeling of intimacy in addition to cognitive feeling of understanding along with their
attitude changes to commitment. The theory of cognitive self-disclosure sheds light on the
increase of marital intimacy in couple’s affiliation and family functioning. Additionally, Khalili
and Afkari (2017) have opined that theoretical implications of cognitive self-disclosure approach
have emphasized on high-self-disclosure interactions in autonomous marriages significantly
facilitate couples to respond optimistically and validate thoughts, perspectives, emotions and
attitude. Receptiveness or the degree, to which individuals empathically confirm others’ opinions
and feelings, has been considered as a vital determinant of relationship outcomes. Thus, through

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Waring’s theory, due to self-disclosure with one’s romantic partner in addition to their
responsiveness have been positively related to perceived relationship quality (Yusefi & Barzgar,
2016). Consequently, Zang (2015) has accepted that insights of self-disclosure and receptiveness
with other couples would be certainly related to feelings of passionate love within the marital
confluence. In general, self-disclosure and openness have been conceptualized as features within
an association which shape understanding and closeness with autonomous marriage. As a result,
positive, high-self-disclosure interactions in self-arranged or autonomous marriage not only
create feelings of intimacy and stability but tend to augment emotions of passionate and adoring
love (Rubio, 2014).
Benefits and Limitations of Arranged Marriage
Every marriage constitutes around 50% chance of experiencing success. Rubio (2014)
have identified that dignity, respect, mutual understanding and cooperation, sensitivity to each
other’s needs and desires, financial stability, compatibility, comfort levels with each other which
comprises other key metrics that lead to a thriving and successful marriage Though arranged
marriages have been primarily established by parents there can be witnessed minimal benefits
attached arranged marriage. Sharing similar cultural patterns have been one of the major
advantages in the realm of arranged marriage (Bravo, Martínez & Ruiz, 2014). Arranged
marriages imply to relate to individuals who have identical nationality, religion, culture, beliefs
and associate with akin to mother tongue similar. On the other hand, arranged marriages have
been integrated to extended family interference because of extensive control of wedding and
other critical facets of marital union (Kashyap, Esteve & García-Román, 2015). Furthermore,
certain degree of communication gap often results to failure in realizing partners’ emotions and

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expectations. Such severe lack of communication tends to cause critical misunderstandings
further dissolving marital alliance.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Autonomous Marriage
As marriage has been recognized as an institution which underpins interpersonal
relationships it holds a prominent position in majority of individuals in the Western society.
Singh et al. (2016) have noted that in contradiction to arranged marriages where parents and
family serve decisive role in the process of marital confluence, autonomous marital relations
offers the significant rate of liberty and control to highlight preferable attributes of partners. Such
a substantial level of self-sufficiency not only condenses the risk of communication gap but
further increases affinity between partners. However, although autonomous marriage essentially
posits on love and affection for each other, there has been witnessed chances of dissolve and
weakening of the relationship (De Neve, 2016). Nevertheless, regardless of propensity of
encountering challenges in autonomous marriages young couple across the world especially in
Western society has been inclining towards experiencing togetherness and enduring
compatibility.
Conclusion
Hence to conclude, relations do not transpire in segregation but have been fixed within
extensive social networks. Therefore, passionate love tends to incessantly shaped by new and
stimulating experiences, which can contain interactions with other couples. These interactions
may outline not only the chances and social forces but generate, safeguard and devastate
relationships. However it has been noted that regardless of these factors the excitement and
positivity of self-regulated marriage sustain passionate love in the relationship. Thus,

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constructive, high-self-disclosure interactions between couples not only construct feelings of
familiarity. Moreover, at the core of these processes relied on responsiveness, perceived as a
factor important to organizing and combining research and theory in associations. As a result,
responsiveness between couples in marital relationship not only leverage bonding, relationships
and interests within the bounds of individual, interpersonal relationship dealings, but may also
influence relationships and sustainability across multiple relationships and social network.

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References
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