50 Item List of Helpful
Marriage Similarities
(From Finding the Love of
Your Life, by Dr. Neil Clark Warren)
Discuss the each of the following openly with your
partner. Ask yourselves, “Are we similar in ….” or “Do we have similar
views on….”
- Socio-economic
background of family
- Intelligence
- Formal education
- Verbal skills
- Expected roles for both
persons within marriage
- Views about power
distribution within the family
- Desired number of
children
- When a family should be
started
- Child rearing views
- Political philosophy
- Views about smoking,
alcohol and drugs
- Amount of involvement
with in-laws
- Sense of humor
- Punctuality
- Dependability
- Desire for verbal
intimacy and ability to be intimate
- The role of conflict
and how to resolve it
- The way to handle anger
- How friendships with
the opposite sex should be handled
- Expected amount of
privacy and rules for its use
- Level of ambition
- Life goals
- Attitudes about weight
- Religious and spiritual
beliefs and preferences
- Amount of church
involvement
- Family spiritual
involvement
- Hobbies and interests
- Type of music enjoyed
- Energy level for
physical activities
- Sexual drive and sexual
interests
- Amount of income to be
spent and saved
- How money should be
allocated (clothes, vacation, etc.)
- Amount of money to be
given away and to whom
- Degree of risks to be
taken with investments
- Attitudes about
cleanliness—house, clothes, body, etc.
- Ways of handling
sickness
- Health standards—when
to see a doctor
- Interpersonal and
social skills
- Amount and type of
social involvement preferred
- Geographical area in
which to live
- Size and style of house
- Type of furniture and
decoration
- Amount and type of
travel preferred
- How to spend vacations
- How to celebrate major
holidays
- How much time to spend
together
- When to go to sleep and
get up
- Temperature of home during
the day and night
- Activity during meals
- Television programs
preferred