People may be knowledgeable about anniversary reactions. More attention is needed about the New Year resolution's effect on relationships, in the context of culture, society and history.
In the September 2003 issue of the journal "Personal Relationships" George and Ann Cotton Levinger reported that the context above is the couple's "macrocontext". The authors also refer to the "mesocontext" that include the:
- physical environment
- employment setting
- organizational affiliations
- social relations
- family
The "microcontext" include:
- sexuality
- satisfaction
- intimacy
Resolution, Expectation and Change
New Year's resolutions, varying in the good - bad macrocosm, may influence expectations, ideals and communication. Positive and negative effects of the new year's resolutions, or "changes" in newlyweds and non-newlyweds can be an illustration. In the December 2000 issue of the journal "Personal Relationships" Ann P. Ruvolo, and Catherine M. Ruvolo reported that a newlywed partner would:
- 'change oneself more to meet the unmet resolutions, ideals or expectations of the other'
That was among white - husbands - wives and African American - wives, whose change depended on:
- 'open communication during conflicts'
Among white wives and African American- wives - husbands the change would depend on:
- 'negativity in feeling about the functioning of the relationship'
Among these the 'resolution of changing oneself' to 'fulfill the resolutions of the partner' depended upon transparency in communication and revealing the negative feelings about the relationship.
Satisfaction in Resolution, Marriage and Divorce
The anticipation of fulfilling a New Year's resolution may release positive feelings, facilitating the change. Satisfaction embedded in the year's end and celebration in start of the New Year are initial rewards for the changes that fulfill resolutions. How could the year's end "satisfaction" affect marital satisfaction? In general, marital satisfaction has been known to decline gradually with the number of years in marriage.
In the September 2009 issue of the journal "Personal Relationships" Gilad Hirschberger, Sanjay Srivastava, Penny Marsh, C. Pape Cowan, and Philip A. Cowan reported that marital satisfaction declined in the span of 4.5 to 15 years from the inception of the first child. The authors report that:
- secure attachment relates to satisfaction
- satisfaction declines even with secure attachment
- initial low-level-of-marital-satisfaction in the husband, when the first child begins school, increases the risk for divorce
Could the rewards of the New Year's resolution prevent divorce in those with initial low marital satisfaction? New Year as a satisfactory initiation may replace the initial marital dissatisfactions. Couples' New Year's resolution to improve satisfaction may reduce the risk of divorce.
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