Polygamous Families in Contemporary Society

In this intriguing book, social psychologist Irwin Altman and anthropologist Joseph Ginat examine husband-wife and wife-wife relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families. They describe how husbands and wives in plural families cope with their complex lifestyle in various facets of everyday life, including courtship, weddings, honeymoons, adjustments to a new life, living arrangements, and the husband's rotation among his wives. Other important topics include budget and resource management, psychological attachments to homes, and the social-emotional relationships between family members. This pioneering, comprehensive analysis of life in modern day Mormon polygamous families uses first-hand interviews and observations to describe this unusual family lifestyle. It adds to our understanding of close relationships and complements knowledge on other modern relationship forms, such as single-parent families, blended families, and cohabiting partners.

1. Introduction; Part I. Historical Background: 2. Mormon history 1830–1890: the early years; 3. Contemporary fundamentalist movements; 4. The people and their communities; Part II. Early Stages of Relationships: 5. Deciding to add a new wife to a family; 6. Courtship; 7. Wedding and marriage ceremonies; 8. Honeymoons; 9. Adjusting to a new marriage; Part III. Home Environments of Plural Families: 10. Living arrangements; 11. Wives and homes; 12. Husbands and homes; Part IV. Managing Everyday Life: 13. The rotation process: husbands and wives alone together; 14. Budget and resource management; 15. Celebrations; Part V. Social-Emotional Relationships: 16. Social-emotional relationships of husbands and wives; 17. Relationships between wives; 18. Family structure; 19. Parents and children; 20. Summing up; Appendices.

Social psychologist Irwin Altman and anthropologist Joseph Ginat examine husband-wife and wife-wife relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families. Using interviews and observations, they illustrate how husbands and wives in plural families cope with their complex lifestyle in various facets of everyday life.