BECOMING A MARRIED COUPLE - THE EMERGENCE OF MEANING IN THE 1ST YEARSOF MARRIAGE

In this study, we examine stories that a representative sample of 264 married couples told about how their relationship developed. Courtship stories are coded on three sets of dimensions: style of the story, st orytelling process, and content of the story. The results indicate tha t courtship stories told in the 1st year of marriage both follow patte rns that help us interpret the meaning that the couple is deriving fro m becoming a couple, and are predictive of marital well-being in the 3 rd year. Comparisons are also made between black couples and white cou ples.