Social integration, social networks and marital ‘pathology’

SynopsisHeterogamy — the marriage of partners with markedly different social characteristics — is considered as a potential source of pathology, such as marital breakdown or neurosis. This paper develops an argument that heterogamy per se is not the cause of problems. Rather, heterogamy may disrupt social networks surrounding the couple. Two possible results follow. Either the partners, being very different, form two independent and different sets of friends. This results in a ‘weak tie’ marriage likely to break. Or the partners remain close, have no friendship network and thus become isolated. Isolation may then lead to neurosis. Data from previous sources and from an Australian survey are used to test propositions derived from this argument, and receive support.