The Strategic Spousing framework
can be used to describe
several types of marriges.
What type of marriage do you have?
Friendship
Dimension
Weak
Strong
Lover-ship
Dimension
Spousing Framework
The spousing framework diagrams the 3 qualities of a marriage along 3 radiating axes with weak endpoints in the center and strong endpoints at the outer tips.
This framework can be used to depict 8 types of marriages. If a marriage becomes consistently weak in any 2 of the 3 dimensions, then that marriage is fragile.
The 4 relatively common types of marriages are diagramed below:
Partnership
Dimension
Strong
Strong
Date Marriage
A date marriage is robust on the friendship and lover-ship dimensions but weak on the partnership dimension.
This type of marriage is common to early marriages before couples have children, buy homes, etc.
Strong
Friendship
Date
Marriage
Weak
Partnership
Strong
Lover-ship
Friendship
Lover-ship
Partnership
Max Marriage
A max marriage is robust on all 3 dimensions of a marriage: partnership, friendship, and lover-ship.
This type of marriage has the most spousing breadth and depth. So, it is the most stable and happy marriage.
Strong
Strong
Strong
Weak
Friendship
Strong
Lover-ship
Strong
Partnership
Independent
Marriage
Platonic Marriage
A platonic marriage is robust on the partnership and friendship dimensions but weak on the lover-ship
dimension.
This type of marriage can be common with elderly spouses who have been in the same marriage for a long time.
Strong
Friendship
Weak
Lover-ship
Platonic
Marriage
Strong
Partnership
Independent Marriage
An independent marriage is robust on the partnership and lover-ship dimensions but weak on the friendship
dimension.
This type of marriage can be common in very traditional marriages, or marriages in which one spouse is very dominant in the relationship.