Self-gift within marriage preparation programmes

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that marriage is good for spouses, children and society as a whole. Marriage preparation programmes are interventions offered to couples contemplating marriage to help them build and maintain healthy and satisfying marital relationships. In theological terms self-gift is at the heart of marital love and is what sustains the marriage and thus, any marriage preparation programme should be helping people make a gift of self to their partner in marriage. The psychological counterparts to self-gift are commitment, forgiveness, sacrifice and self-disclosure. This study focuses on how Mastering the Mysteries of Love, PREPARE to Last and Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program accomplish this by analysing how each promotes commitment, forgiveness, sacrifice and self-disclosure. All three programmes were found to have elements of all four constructs in varying degrees.