Indian Arranged Marriages

Despite the fact that more than 80% of cultures practice varying degrees of arranged marriage, scholars have thus far concentrated exclusively on American and European cultures from choice marriages, not yet fully exploring the psychology of arranged marriages. India is a prominent South Asian nation that continues to retain the historical tradition of arranged marriages in the 21st century. This book therefore provides a timely addition to marital research as it offers a comprehensive and systematic psychological examination on Indian arranged marriages. This book explores the role of individual, interactional, contextual, and cultural factors in predicting marital satisfaction in individuals who were in arranged marriages and living in India. The discussion is drawn from a survey collecting data from individuals married through the arranged marriage system in India. In light of this empirical study, the book considers the cross-cultural applicability of Western findings and proposes some key methodological and clinical considerations for examining marital relationships in Indian arranged marriages. Providing useful, much-needed scholarly insight on arranged marriages and widening the research conceptualization of marriage, this book will be of particular interest to scholars of Social Psychology, Sociology, Marital and Cross-cultural studies.

Dr Tulika Jaiswal is a Chartered Psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at the Southampton Solent University. Born in India and fascinated by complexities of arranged marriages, she undertook her Doctoral degree from University of York, UK. Since receiving her doctorate in 2010, Tulika continues to be involved in the Psychological research and teaching.

1. Introduction 2. Perspective on western and cross-cultural marital research 3. Contemporary India - The cultural context of arranged marriage 4. How are we getting along?: Findings from Western, cross-cultural and Indian research on couple interaction and martial satisfaction 5. Do personal characteristics matter?: Findings from Western, cross-cultural and Indian research on individual characteristics and marital satisfaction 6. Stressed out?: Findings from Western, cross-cultural and Indian research on dyadic stressors and marital satisfaction 7. Examining the Psychometric Validity of the Indian Version of the Marital Functioning Test Battery 8. Psychological Examination of Predictors of Marital Satisfaction in Indian Arranged Marriage 9. Conclusion: Toward a better understanding of Indian arranged marriages