PSYC 101
Marriages:
This is a psychological comparison between arranged marriages and marriages formed out of love. According to the American Physiological Association (APA), 40-50% of all marriages in the United States end up in divorces. Are we becoming a country where this is an excepted norm, or is it an American trait? Marriages are different things to different people. Cultures play an important role and to an extent, it is a learned response. In India, arranged marriages are the norm while in Western countries, marriages are base on love. The divorce rate for arrange marriages is dramatically lower than that of love marriage. Taking arrange marriages to an extreme level are the Moonies. According studies provided by the Moonies, their divorce rate is lower than people who married for love. Is it true that we might be wrong in marrying for love? Conceivably, it could be an issue with compatibility.
For most Americans, marriages are an evolution of love. We all feel that we must love someone we're willing to tie the knot. Dr. Arthur Aron a professor of psychology at the State University of New York-Stony Brook conducted a survey regarding love and lust. His research shows that love thoughts are focused in the right side of the brain. Lust however seems to be centralized in the left side of the brain (Brown). This study clearly shows that there is a biological distinction between love and lust. I’m of the opinion that most traditional US marriages start out as lust and form into love.
Perhaps arranged marriages are more successful than marriages based on love. In India, the divorce rate is less than 3% (Times). In arranged marriages the parents are involved and get to utilize their wisdom while screening for “deal breakers” (Lee, 2013). The members are raised and expected from childhood that arrange-marriages are the cultural excepted norms. The parents take the arrangement seriously putting in the necessary work to guarantee a lasting...