What Makes for a Happy & Healthy Marriage?
Overview
We all want to be happy and we all want love. Marriage seems to be the ideal answer to both of these wants. Unfortunately, instead of being a major source of happiness and fulfillment, marriage has become a constant source of stress and problems for many people.
Leo Tolstoy once said in Anna Karenina: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In this new series of meetups, we will try to answer these important questions: What do happy and healthy marriages have in common? What are the frequent causes of marital problems? What can be done to resolve marriage conflicts?
We will seek answers from various sources: psychology research, clinical observations, philosophy, and religious/spiritual teachings. We hope that through lectures, group discussions and exercises, participants can improve their own marriage and family lives.
Downloads
| Lesson 1: Outline | How to Repair and Strengthen Your Marital Foundation | DOC | |
| — Handout | Marriage Beliefs Test | DOC | |
| Lesson 2: Outline | How to Improve Your Marriage with Good Communication | DOC | |
| — Handout | Communication Skills Tracking Sheet | DOC | |
| Lesson 3: Outline | How to Reduce & Resolve Marital Conflicts | DOC | |
| — Handout | Marital Problems Questionnaire + Rules for Fair Fighting | DOC | |
| Lesson 4: Outline | How to Cultivate Love in Your Marriage | DOC | |
| — Handout | Love Map + Love Quiz | DOC | |
| Lesson 5: Outline | Different Faces of Marital Happiness | DOC | |
| — Handout | Theories and Types of Love and Happiness | DOC | |
| Lesson 6: Outline | Meaning of Marriage | DOC | |
| — Handout | Healthy Marriage Checklist + Review Questions | DOC |
Permission must be granted prior to quoting or presenting materials.
Meaning Conference 2025 will be the INPM’s first in-person conference with a virtual option after the pandemic.