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Full Title: Passages of Marriage; Five Growth Stages That Will Take Your Marriage to Greater Intimacy and Fulfillment
Author(s): Dr. Frank Minirth; Mary Alice Minirth; Dr. Brian Newman; Dr. Deborah Newman; Dr. Robert Hemfelt; Susan Hemfelt

From jacket flap:

"Dr. Frank Minirth is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Along with Dr. Paul Meier, he founded the Minirth-Meier Clinic in Dallas, Texas, one of the largest psychiatric clinics in the United States.

Mary Alice Minirth is a homemaker and the mother of four children.

Dr. Brian Newman is the clinical director of inpatient services at the Minirth-Meier Clinic in Richardson, Texas. He received his M.A. in counseling from Grace Theological Seminary and his Doctorate of Philosophy from Oxford Graduate School.

Dr. Deborah Newman is a psychotherapist with the Minirth-Meier Clinic. She received her M.A. in counseling from Grace Theological Seminary and her Doctorate of Philosophy from Oxford Graduate School.

Dr. Robert Hemfelt is a psychologist with the Minirth-Meier Clinic who specializes in the treatment of chemical dependencies and compulsivity disorders.

Susan Hemfelt is a homemaker and mother of three children."
Publishing / Edition: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991
Purchase; Read: Borrow the eBook from Internet Archive.

Content Review

Likening them to the developmental stages of a human being, the authors state that marriages follow a similar set of "passages". These five "passages" are summarized on the back of the book in the following way:

• Young Love - the first two years - overcoming the idealistic notions of marriage and molding two individuals into one unit, a family

• Realistic Love - the 3rd through the 10th years - recognizing the subconscious reasons you married your spouse, the hidden agendas and secret contracts

• Comfortable Love - the 11th through 20th years - establishing and maintaining individual identity along with your marriage identity

• Renewing Love - the 21st through 30th years - grieving and accepting the inevitable losses of your marriage: financial stresses, lost youth, unrealized dreams, lack of sexual intimacy

• Transcendent Love - 31 years and thereafter - unveiling new reasons for existing after the major life tasks of achieving financial security and nurturing the next generation have been completed

Related Resources

There are several other books here that share a similar premise:

Augsburger, David. Sustaining Love. Regal Books, 1988.

Rock, Maxine. The Marriage Map. Dell Publishing, 1986.

Sills, Judith. A Fine Romance. Ballantine Books, 1987.