ABSTRACT
Newlyweds generally approach marriage as a source of satisfaction and fulfillment, confident that their positive evaluations of their partners and their relationships will persist over time. Yet, despite this optimism, as many as two thirds of all first marriages end in divorce or permanent separation (Castro-Martin & Bumpass, 1989), and the dissolution rate for remarriages is even higher (Cherlin, 1992). Thus, the normative course of a marriage appears to involve a radical change, from thoughts and feelings that initially draw two people together to thoughts and feelings that eventually push those same two people apart. How does this change occur? How do initially satisfied marriages remain satisfied or deteriorate over time?
