To meet this expectation couples devote much of their attention to how they interact. Great importance is placed on learning to communicate, fight fair, and negotiate conflicts. Too often, however, the sexual component takes center stage and leads to an overemphasis on methods, techniques, and performance. In the companionship-marriage couples learn to be more expressive and less antagonistic, but when they stop there they sometimes end up feeling discontented and yearn for a deeper kind of togetherness. A vibrant, alive marriage has to be more than just problem free.
Good health is much more than the absence of illness.
It includes all the benefits of optimum functioning, a zest for living, and the harmony of body, mind, and spirit working together as a unified whole. Similarly, marriages, when they are strong and healthy, become powerful vehicles for personal growth and self-transcendence.