RESEARCH_FILE
Terri L. Orbuch
Oakland University / Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
Known for:The Early Years of Marriage project — a multi-decade longitudinal study of marital stability, including how in-law perceptions predict divorce
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“They'll never accept me”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“A neutral face is not a verdict. I can let it stay neutral.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
After your next family interaction, sit alone for two minutes and write down one neutral detail you noticed, one interpretation you added, and one other explanation that could also fit. Keep it private and stop there.
Key findings
- 2021
Across 355 Black and White couples followed for 16 years, discordance between spouses' perceptions of in-law closeness and support — not the objective level of closeness itself — predicted increased risk of divorce. You Aren't as Close to my Family as You Think: Discordant Perceptions about In-laws and Risk of Divorce ↗
- 2002
In a programmatic review of the Early Years of Marriage data, Orbuch and Veroff describe how patterns of family support-seeking established in the first year of marriage carry forward to shape long-term marital quality. A Programmatic Review: Building a Two-Way Bridge between Social Psychology and the Study of the Early Years of Marriage ↗