Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 1-1-2016 Marriage in the 21st Century: From a State of Confusion to a State of Being Gemma Margaret Anne Barriteau Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Barriteau, G. (2016). Marriage in the 21st Century: From a State of Confusion to a State of Being (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/88 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MARRIAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: FROM A STATE OF CONFUSION TO A STATE OF BEING A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Education Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Gemma M. Barriteau August 2016 Copyright by Gemma M. Barriteau 2016 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Department of Counseling, Psychology and Special Education Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Executive Counselor Education and Supervision Program Presented by: Gemma M. Barriteau B.A., Deviant Behavior & Social Control M.S.Ed., Community Mental Health Counseling August 2016 LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MARRIAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: FROM A STATE OF CONFUSION TO A STATE OF BEING Approved by: _____________________________________________, Chair Lisa Lopez Levers, Ph.D. Professor of Counselor Education Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education School of Education Duquesne University ___________________________________________, Member James E. Henderson, Ed.D. Professor of Educational Leadership School of Education Duquesne University ___________________________________________, Member Moni McIntyre, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Social & Public Policy McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University ___________________________________________, Member Debra Hyatt-Burkhart, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Counselor Education Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education School of Education Duquesne University iii ABSTRACT LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MARRIAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: FROM A STATE OF CONFUSION TO A STATE OF BEING By Gemma M. Barriteau August 2016 Dissertation supervised by Dr. Lisa Lopez Levers The purpose of this study was to interpret the lived-experiences of some individuals who viewed their long-term committed relationships as a marriage. This was done in order to begin to reveal the underlying meaning of marriage for some people in 21st century America. This hermeneutic phenomenological study used Bowlby’s (1969, 1982) Attachment Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 2005) Bio-ecological Model of Human Development to explore how married individuals bond with each other and adjust to their bio-ecological environments. Van Manen’s (1990) Lived-Existentials were also used to interpret how these participants oriented to their lived experiences and interpreted their life stories. Prior to the landmark Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruling in favor of national marriage equality, some members of society argued against marriage iv equality for gay people. Recently, a few presidential candidates have threatened to overturn the ruling. Consequently, the debate over what marriage is and who deserves to be legally recognized as married has resurfaced in the national conscience. Although the Internet provides several interpretations of marriage, this study explores the deeper underlying meaning that some people place on their marital relationships, by hermeneutically interpreting their lived-experiences. For this qualitative study, 12 persons (9 heterosexual and 3 homosexual) were interviewed about their marital relationships prior to the June 26, 2015 SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality. A Facebook social media page was created to solicit and inform potential participants of the study. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted and audio recorded. The results were summarized into four themes: The Freedom to be Vulnerable with One’s Spouse; Communication beyond Words: Developing the Spiritual Connection; Safety; and Marriage as Union: Merging two into one. Understanding the lived-experiences of persons engaged in what they describe as marital relationships, regardless of their sexual orientation, is essential to revealing the underlying meaning placed on marriage, which many feel is an expression of one’s humanity. This understanding helps to assist members of the helping professions break down potential barriers that may lead to mental and physical health issues for their clients. The researcher offers suggestions for continued research in this area. Keywords: definition, equality, lived-experience, marriage, same-sex v DEDICATION To all of the souls lost in Orlando and through different forms of hatred and to the memory of my big brother, Anthony Joseph Barriteau (1960-2010), who always let his little sister know that he was proud of her. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT As this has been a long and sometimes arduous journey for me, I would like to humbly acknowledge the following people for being a constant shining light in my life during this process: First to my parents who have passed over and who had instilled in me a love of learning: thank you, Ma and Dad. Dr. Olga Welch, Dean of the School of Education, thank you for keeping your door open to me and for always encouraging my growth. To Dr. Lisa Lopez Levers, my dissertation chair, thank you for your help through this process. To Drs. James Henderson, Moni McIntyre, and Debra Hyatt- Burkhart, members of my dissertation committee, thank you for selflessly supporting, teaching, and encouraging me, and to Dr. Linda Goodfellow, the IRB chair, thank you for your support, patience, and humor. To Dr. David Delmonico, my doctoral advisor, thank you for listening to me and for giving me the space to laugh and cry when I needed to, and to Dr. Arnetha F. Ball who shared her knowledge of research with me, thank you for your friendship and support. To Dr. Lancelot Brown, thank you for selflessly giving of your time so that I could make sense of statistics, and a special thank you to all of the School of Education administrative assistants (especially Beverly Sughrue and Nancy Schmidt) as well as the staff and faculty of the Counseling Department. To Cheryl Quinn in the financial aid department and the staff at the Gumberg Library who put up with the insanity of a lonely Yankees’ fan, thank you. I would also like to acknowledge the individuals who participated in this study; without your selflessness and sharing, this would not be possible. You have my deepest vii gratitude. And finally, to my friends and family who stuck by me through it all: Chester and Karin Jackson and the entire Jackson family, you opened your hearts and home to me. You have been and are more than friends—you are my family. I love you. To my sister, Theresa Barriteau-Serrano, my niece, Dagna Ramos-Natoli, and my great- nephew, Lucian Ramos Natoli, who always show me love and support, I love you. To my son, Matthew Huerta, thank you for always putting me and my work first, I love you. To Catherine Ortiz, Andrea Kellman, Marcia Davis-Allison, Karen Fragalla-Smith, Danielle Buck-Henzler, and Drs. Emma Moseley, Karen Levitt, Julia Williams, Rosemary Mautino, and Gretchen Givens-Generett, I cannot tell you enough how much you all mean to me. Each one of you has been a source of selfless love and support, always giving me a gentle push when I needed it. I thank you for your time, hugs, listening skills, friendship, laughter, and love. And to my middle school teachers: Mr. Edward Clinton, Mr. Jeremiah Corkery, Sr. Julie Franchi, and Mr. Alfred Mussacchio with whom I still keep in touch; each one of you took the time not only to teach me, but to nurture me. All of you in your own way let me know that I was special and appreciated and for that you have my undying gratitude and love. And finally to Bev Smith, this ending is our new beginning. Thanks for caring and supporting me. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................. vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 Background of the Problem .....................................................................................4 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................9 Purpose of the Study ..............................................................................................18 Research Questions ................................................................................................20 Conducting Semi-structured Interviews: Protocols and Procedures ......................21 Delimitations of the Study .....................................................................................22 Limitations of the Study.........................................................................................24