MYTHS THAT SURROUND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Myths that surround Marriage and Family

Introduction

The consequences of media on the acculturation of the youth are more fundamental today than at any early period in history. Traditionally, beliefs and stories were communicated through the religion, family, school, community or tribe. Nowadays, the average student will have spent 15,000 hours watching TV and only 11,000 hours in the classroom by the end of high school (Westermarck, 2001). Media is getting less of a form of leisure and more an agent for the communication of values in the lives of youth. Media makes roles for individuals that are often assumed in society.

Myths That Surround Marriage and Family

Marriage will meet all my needs:

Some researches shows that people like to believe that their life will be complete and fulfilling when they marry. Marriage is supposed to offer everything a person needs to find total satisfaction in life (Eleanor, 2002). A life partner is presented as one who will fill all the gaps of human existence, the married person need never experience any deficiency. This myth supports the idea that a marital partner is capable of being whatever the married person wants in life. The partner should therefore meet all of the needs of the spouse, such as emotional needs, sexual desires, and the need for mental stimulation or companionship. This myth arises from ideas (often expressed in songs) such as “You are everything” or “You are all I need”. In other words, a married person is not to look elsewhere for companionship, sharing of feelings or thoughts and should not confide in anyone except in the spouse. The relationship then becomes a closed experience and husband or wife may soon find the situation rather suffocating.

They feel this way because they discover chat marriage cannot meet all their needs. Married people have their deficiencies too and will not be likely to meet the partner's needs to such an extent. A couple should let the spouse find others to meet various needs. The partner alone cannot be everything. Married people still need to have friends and to develop relationships outside of the marriage (Shirley, 2004).

Love is an ever-present experience in marriage:

It is generally accepted that people marry out of love. Love is believed to be the sustaining force and binding factor in marriage. It is supposed to put everything right even when all seems to be wrong. Some writers on marriage recommend that spouses should tell each other -l love you everyday to keep the relationship aglow The Idea is to be in love and to feel in love at all times, and if that is missing, something must be wrong .

Those who believe this myth find it difficult to think that love can diminish or even disappear altogether in marriage. Yet, some researches shows that some couples are not sure what love means for them or if they do feel it at all. Some couples report that they are still married and are reasonably satisfied even ...