Couples' Long‐term Evaluations of Their Marriage Encounter Experience

Abstract

This retrospective survey was conducted to determine how couples felt about their Marriage Encounter experience an average of four years later. One hundred twenty‐nine couples were randomly selected from those who attended a National Marriage Encounter weekend in Eastern Iowa over a ten‐year period. The results indicated that about 80% of the couples reported a totally positive experience. The most frequently cited positive aspect of the program was the “dialogue” or communication technique designed to encourage the expression of feelings. Nearly one in ten couples reported three or more negative effects of the program on their relationship. The most frequently cited negative effect was that needs were identified on the weekend but not subsequently fulfilled, resulting in greater frustration for the respondent. Within the design limits of a retrospective survey, we concluded that Marriage Encounter is viewed as a helpful experience by most couples, but that a significant minority of couples may experience negative consequences of the program.

Community marriage initiatives

“…Hundreds of thousands of couples, mostly Catholic but also from other denominations, attended weekend retreat programs led by a clergyperson and two lay couples, the aim of which was marital renewal in the context of spiritual renewal (Elin, 1999). Marriage Encounter, which explicitly avoided interacting with marriage and family professionals, attracted concerns from marital therapists and academics about the potential risks of its intensive format for distressed couples (Lester & Doherty, 1983). However, by the late 1970s, the promise of lay‐led community‐based marriage programs seemed enormous.…”

Marriage Encounter Weekends: Couples Who Win and Couples Who Lose

“…The handful of theses and dissertations on the subject have been plagued by methodological problems, brief follow up periods, and inconsistent findings (French, 1976Huber, 1976McCabe, 1978;Samko, 1976). Aside from Lester and Doherty (1983), existing outcome studies do not report examinations of deterioration in individual couples.…”

“…In the third study, Lester and Doherty (1983) conducted a ten-year retrospective survey of 129 randomly selected graduates of National Marriage Encounter weekends. The authors used a questionnaire asking couples to identify positive, neutral, and negative effects of the program on various aspects of their relationship.…”

Enriching newlyweds: An evaluation of three enrichment programs

“…Gurman and Kniskern (1977) raise questions about the long-term effectiveness of enrichment programs, suggesting that change may be illusory. Doherty and colleagues (Doherty & Walker, 1982;Doherty et al, 1986;Lester & Doherty, 1983), in a series of studies evaluating Marriage Encounter, raise concerns over deterioration effects, which are generally not measured in research on marriage enrichment.…”