Understanding Power Dynamics of Latter-Day Saint Marriages in the United States

Equality in marriage is an important element of healthy relationships. Religious marriages differ from those of non-religious or religiously ambiguous individuals. How religious couples experience equality in marriage is an understudied process. A grounded theory design was used to understand how Latter-day Saint couples experience marital power sharing. Thirty-one participants (fifteen opposite sex couples and one wife) participated in 46 interviews where they discussed their marital dynamics, especially surrounding their perceived influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and power sharing. Four interrelated processes surfaced from these interviews: interacting influences (one's family of origin, the Church, and culture), self-in-relationship (including one's self-concept, self-awareness, examination of beliefs, and healing and reconciliation), relational processes (including taking relational responsibility, balancing relational influence, attuning to one's partner, and engaging in emotional exposure), and identity formation ("we" vs. "me"). Implications and applications for clinical practice are discussed.