A formal definition gives us the scientific meaning behind a word. Dictionaries are the chief providers of these definitions of what people would like to know. According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary 1986, marriage is defined as "the statute of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife," or "and intimate close reunion." After looking into Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language 1996, I found another definition, one that is provided ten years later. The dictionary states marriage is "the legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of a man and woman to live as husband and wife, including the accompanying social festivities" and "the state, condition, or relationship of being married, suc

Most people, women and men, want to be romanced. We go through "Consummation- - talking, touching, 'making love'," feeling that everything is going to last forever (Psychological Self-Help N.P.). This "romantic love" blinds people. Most people take this stage as 'I am in love and it will always stay this way.' Most believe that this is what marriage is. Marriage is this passionate love for one another, and nothing is ever going to change that. This is the stage when we start to talk about marriage because we feel that this 'love' is going to last forever. Not only is this love on an emotional level, but "there are actually physiological processes that occur" (Lipthrott 1). In every human is a peptide called PEA, or phenoethalymine. This peptide "increases energy, feelings of well being, positive outlook, and diminishes pain" (Lipthrott 1). When the body produces PEA, it gives us the energy to wake up in the morning after no sleep, and it allows the body to function as if we had slept all night. PEA is proven to increase sexual desire, or those "impulses" that we act upon. It increases those "heat of the moment" desires. This stage allows us to feel perfect, in love, hopeful, and most of all, it gives us confidence. Confidence not only in ourselves but with our partner as well. (Lipthrott n.p.; Miles n.p.; Psychological Self-Help n.p.).

Lipthrott, Dawn. "Make Your Way through the Stages of Marriage and Relationship." Online Internet. Http://www.magicnet.net/-dawnmar/stages.html/. 03 mar. 1999.

Just as we go through stages of life, within those stages are sub-stages. We grow from infancy to childhood to young adulthood to adult and then finally to an elder. Those sub-stages within these stages are just as important. The sub-stages of a someone's life molds him/her into the person he/she later becomes. Some of us have horrible childhoods, others have great childhoods. It's the luck of the draw. The first stage of a relationship is the actual first meeting. It is in those few moments of time that we realize whether or not this could be a friend, something more, or nothing at all. We can have our mind made up within minutes. Then we continue through sub-stages with others until we find that special someone we want to marry. Once we marry, the sub-stages continue on. Three out of the five sources that I researched explained marriage and the five sub-stages that go along with marriage. Within these stages, marriage is examined on why it lasts forever or why it fails. (Lipthrott n.p.; Miles n.p.; Psychological Self-Help n.p.).

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Approximate Word count = 2112
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)