Latter-day Saint Courtship Patterns

For years, many have observed the notion that there are a number of distinctive differences in the mate-selection process of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and other North Americans. Because of the strongly held values espoused by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in regard to marriage within the larger picture of American cultural patterns, there are many Mormon sub-cultural differences. Unique LDS culture patterns have been found to be an expression of a young adult LDS Church member's paradigms of life's meanings. This book combines cutting edge scholarly research with items of popular interest analyzing and summarizing data and research already collected. Making commitments is vital to LDS life and affects the mate-selection process. Parental attitudes, values, and interpretations of accepted codes within the Church have developed into traditions that constitute a complex Mormon lore. Therefore, the book's approach is a detailed, comprehensive report of the author's research that uniquely incorporates folklore data.

This volume defines the formation of heterosexual relationships culminating in marriage of LDS couples from 1960 to 2005, and compares this pattern to that of other cultural courtships. The study will assist future researchers in their analysis of the family, and have a direct influence on further exploration of what constitutes successful LDS families.

Mary Jane Woodger is Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. Her current research interests include twentieth century Church history, Latter-day Saint women's history, and Church education.

Thomas B. Holman is Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University and the Chairman of the RELATE Institute, a consortium of scholars doing research on and designing interventions around the issues of mate selection and marital quality.

Kristi A. Young has been the curator of the William A. Wilson Folklore Archives in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University since 1995. She has a M.A. in English with an emphasis in folklore from Brigham Young University.