Research on Psychological Aspects of Modern Youth’s Readiness for Marriage

The article studies the psychological aspects of marriage readiness of modern youth. It is a well-known fact that before an official marriage conclusion, young people already have certain ideas about their future family, the peculiarities of marital relations, the distribution of family roles and responsibilities. The studied problem is important due to the fact that today young people on the verge of family starting experience very often some difficulties, associated primarily with a low level of their psychological readiness for marriage. Based on the analyzed literary sources, the concept of «readiness for marriage» is revealed, the main components of readiness for marriage and family life (physiological readiness, social readiness, ethical and psychological readiness, sexual readiness) are characterized, the factors affecting formation of young people’s readiness for marriage and family starting are analyzed. It is noted that important indicators determining young people’s psychological readiness for marriage is not only their idea of marriage and family life, but also the developed ability to empathy, constructive conflict resolution, as well as the formed individual system of values, where family is of paramount importance. The performed empirical research revealed that the majority of the respondents, irrespective of their empathy, but focused on marriage, tend to demonstrate constructive behaviors in conflict situations, the sphere of family life occupies a leading place in their system of values. The leading motives for family starting for the majority of the respondents, irrespective of their empathy, are love and material security. We also revealed that the majority of the study participants accept premarital sex and stress on the fact that the sexual sphere in married life is of significant importance. The majority of the participants with underdeveloped and low levels of empathic abilities noted that the birth of children and parental functions are not mandatory for family functioning. The presented study results indicate the need to find new approaches to prepare young people for family life, as well as to creation of special socio-psychological conditions for the formation at young people of conscious personal motivation to marriage and family starting.