The social ecology of marriage and other intimate unions

This article provides an interdisciplinary framework for studying marital a nd other intimate relationships. Three Ipl els of analysis are distinguishe d: (a) the society: characterized in terms of both macrosocietal forces and the ecological niches within which particular spouses and couples function ; (b) the individual spouses, including their psychosocial and physical att ributes, as well as the attitudes and beliefs they have about each other an d their relationship; and (c) the marriage relationship. viewed as a behavi oral system embedded within a larger network of close relationships. The di scussion focuses primarily on the interplay between the spouses and their m arriage. emphasizing the importance of distinguishing, both analytically an d operationally: the individual from the dyadic (or group) levels of analys is. Ir is also argued that in order to appreciate how marriages work, socia l scientists must understand not only how these 2 levels of analysis interp enetrate each other but also how macrosocietal forces and the ecological ni ches within which couples live impinge on partners and their marital relati onship.