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Variations on Marriage

What are intimate relationships? These are personal connections involving close emotional involvements between friends, blood relatives, or married people. Some forms of intimate relationships may involve sexual relations.

Marriage comes in many forms, in both traditional and non-traditional forms. Marriage is typically recognized as a formal, legal arrangement with a sexual component. People may be married as a result of free-choice mate selection, or an arranged marriage.

People who cohabitate are considered common-law spouses but are not legally married.

There are several alternatives to the traditional marriage relationship. In Canada, cohabitation is becoming increasingly popular. Commuter marriages, where the partners maintain separate households but are committed to the relationship, are also on the rise. Same-sex relationships have become socially acceptable.

In all variations, the theories of attraction, psychological tasks and stages of development are common. While monogamy is a familiar form of marriage in Canada, polygamy is common in many other societies such as Tibet and southern India. Fresh starts, involving remarriage and cohabitation, is another alternative to the traditional marriage relationship.

Create a postcard that shows what you have learned about intimate relationships

On the front, design an image that illustrates a modern intimate relationship. You may draw, cut and paste, use computer graphics, or a combination. include a picture of the image

On the back, write a note to a friend who lives in another country, in another time (either the past or the future). Explain the significance of the image on the front of your postcard. You may be creative, and and details for the people in your image. Use technical terminology, and demonstrate your understanding of intimate relationships according to social science perspectives, theories, and research.