Turning points and commitment: Discussions of marriage in pre-engagement romantic dyads.

This study examined the connection between turning points, commitment, and engagement. The purpose of the study was to discover how turning points and commitment were related to discussion of marriage in pre-engagement romantic dyads. Research questions looked specifically into the presence of discussions of marriage in pre-engagement couples, the shifts in commitment that occur at these discussions, what makes couples feel ready to discuss marriage, and sex differences that may exist in perception of communicative aspects of engagement and talk about marriage. The researcher used the Retrospective Interview Technique measurement and in-depth interviewing to collect data. All participants reported on having discussions of marriage prior to engagement. The majority of participants agreed that discussions of marriage and the proposal event increased commitment to the relationship. Participants were divided on whether or not the proposal was necessary to know they were going to many their partner and whether or not they already considered themselves engaged prior to the official proposal. Results showed that participants felt ready to discuss marriage based on three factors: partner's character, timing in the relationship, and shared values. Lastly, the analyses revealed two sex differences: all participants reported that proposed, and that men were twice as likely as women to bring up the topic of marriage first in the relationship. Based on these results, this study raises questions about the necessity of the official proposal in a relationship, and combats common stereotypes of men and women's roles in romantic relationships.