Beyond the Myth of Marital Happiness

BLAINE J. FOWERS, Ph.D., is a psychologist who specializes in marital and family therapy research and training. He is associate professor in the Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Miami. Fowers has been married to Susan his wife for 15 years. They are the proud parents of Jeremy, age 12, and Alyssa, age 9.

"Fowers's inspiring new approach to marriage may well provide the missing link in our struggle to rebuild and fortify the flagging institution of marriage. All couples--from starry-eyed newlyweds to those about to throw in the towel--should take turns reading this book aloud to each other." --Diane Sollee, founder and director, Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education "At last we have a book that sets forth the true basis for Anduring marriages. It moves beyond the psychobabble about emotional payoff and beyond even today's panacea of 'communication' to describe real marriage as a partnership directed toward ends good in themselves." --Robert N. Bellah, professor of sociology, emeritus, University of California Berkeley, coauthor, The Good Society "I've read a lot of books, for a lot of years, about a lot of theories pertaining to marriage. But none of them have come close to capturing the beauty, lyrical quality, and profound truth of this book. This book is different from all the rest. The truth shines out from it." --Philip Cushman, author, Constructing the Self, Constructing America

• THE MYTH. The Guidance of Myth. The Magic Union. How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of a Myth. Marital Therapy, the Science of Marriage, and the Myth. A NEW VISION OF MARRIAGE. Creating the Good Marriage: From Technique to Character. The Virtue of Friendship: Building a Partnership Marriage. The Virtue of Loyalty: Creating a Lasting Marriage. The Virtue of Generosity: Fashioning a Giving Marriage. The Virtue of Justice: Fostering a Fair Marriage. How Can All of Us Work Together to Cultivate Strong Marriages? Notes. About the Author. Index.