Why Marriages Succeed or Fail an Example of the Topic Literature Essays by

Why Marriages Succeed or Fail The book Why Marriages Succeed or Fail and How You Can Make Yours Last provides clear and thoughtful explanations of the question which interest million of married and unmarried people all over the world: why some marriages are successful, whereas others are complete failure? The book is presented as the result of twenty years researches tending to reveal the dynamic of relations of married couples. John Gottman, the author of the book, analyzes the current trends in marriages and divorce rates as well as he states that there is little evidence which examine the dissolution of marital relations. Need essay sample on "Why Marriages Succeed or Fail" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed College Students Usually Tell EssayLab specialists: I'm don't want to write my paper online. I want to spend time with my family Essay writer professionals suggest: Entrust Your Essay Paper To Us And Get A+ The author claims that past years were characterized by majority of books and other printed materials aimed at providing recommendations to married couples how to make their marriages successful, but the book very based mainly on experiences of marital therapists. In his turn, Gottman states that current findings and suggestions on marriages are flawed. (p.15) Therefore, Gottman says that the purpose of his study is to share our latest results with you and to offer my best understanding of just how you can strengthen your marriage. (p.16) Gottman sees his book as a tool to assist unmarried, successfully married and those married couples who are struggling to keep their marriage. Firstly, the author provides explanation of three main types of successful and stable marriages defining them as validating marriage style, conflict-avoiding marriage style and volatile marriage style: Validating style suggests that couples are ready to find compromises and to solve problems together to mutual satisfaction. Conflict-avoiding style suggests that couples rarely conflict with each other trying to keep their disagreement and problems inside. Volatile style suggests that couples are rarely conflicting, but such conflicts always result in passionate disputes. Gottman provides in-depth analysis of all marriage style and illustrates case studies from his working experience to prove his position. It is interesting to note that the author provides self-test to diagnose your own marriage style (if you are married, of course). For Gottman, the key to successful marriage is a simple formula: no matter what style of marriage you have, you must have at least five times as many positive as negative moments together if your marriage is to be stable. (p.29) Secondly, after discussing stable marriages the author moves to analyzing two main styles of unstable marriages defining them as hostile/engaged marriage style and hostile/detached marriage style: Hostile/engaged style similar to volatile style suggests that couples are conflicting frequently and intensively, but their disputes often involve putdowns, insults, name-calling, etc. Moreover, sarcasm is considered a major part of their everyday interactions. Hostile/detached style suggests that couples may even scream at each other not listening to arguments. Such people are detached, defensive towards each other, and they are emotionally detached. Gottman asserts that these types of unstable marriage are marital disasters. One more interesting moment is that the author has managed to analyse biological and social differences between males and females and how they affect romantic relations and marriage. Gottman works out a social development theory examining why men are less emotional in marriages than women. As it is mentioned above, after discussing unstable styles the author provides also self-tests summarizing all points made above. Basing on the results of all tests taken, the author makes suggestions and provides recommendations how to improve the situation. Finally, two last chapters of the book are devoted to working out simple and effective strategies how to improve marital relations and to make your marriage successful and stable. Actually, the author is willing to teach couples how to be effective listener. It is seen from the book that Gottman does appreciate the role of empathy, non-defensiveness, reflective listen ing, and non-verbal communication stressing that they are keys to success and stability in marriage. Finally, the author provides research-based recommendations how to continue to make your marriage stronger after having reached stability. Speaking about weaknesses or negative moments it is necessary to underline that John Gottman is psychologists and, therefore, he creates and defines his own jargon causing difficulties in reading and comprehending the material. It means that readers many become overwhelmed with new terminology and definition. Moreover, some chapters provide explanation of methodologies and protocols used in research. Other psychologies will definitely appreciate this moment, but average reader may find it boring and not interesting as he is interested in reasons and solutions. However, overall the book is excellent and very informative. Apparent strength is that the author provides keen insight how to improve marital relations, whereas all his suggestions are research-based. The book is a well-organized research of the questions posted with clear outline and is written with many easy definitions. One more positive moment is that Gottman provides real life examples to provide his ideas and suggestions. So, the benefit of the book is that it has strong research foundation. Self-tests are also important as they help to keep readers engaged in reading further and they are practical, insightful and very useful. The book helps to understand marital relations and provides ways of the improving. For example, chapter three The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is of great importance as the author discusses different types of negativity and unstable marriages. Summing up, this book should be recommended for those who are interested in improving marital and interpersonal relations. All ideas in the book are not limited only to those who are married. References Gottman, John. (2004). Why Marriages Succeed or Fail and How You Can Make Yours Last. New York: Fireside Books.

How to Make Sulfuric Acid at Home

How to Make Sulfuric Acid at Home Sulfuric acid is a useful acid to have on hand for a variety of home chemistry projects. However, it is not easy to obtain. Fortunately, you can make it yourself. Homemade Sulfuric Acid Materials This method starts with diluted sulfuric acid, which you boil to make concentrated sulfuric acid. This is the safest and easiest method of making sulfuric acid at home. Car battery acidGlass containerOutdoor source of heat, like a grill Battery acid, which may be purchased at an automotive supply store, is approximately 35% sulfuric acid. In many cases, this will be strong enough for your activities, but if you need concentrated sulfuric acid, you just need to remove the water. The resulting acid will not be as pure as reagent-grade sulfuric acid. Safest Method If you arent in a hurry, you can concentrate sulfuric acid by allowing the water to evaporate naturally. This takes several days. Place an open container of sulfuric acid somewhere with good circulation, safe from the possibility of a spill.Loosely cover the container to minimize contamination with dust and other particulates.Wait. The water will evaporate out of the solution, eventually leaving you with concentrated sulfuric acid. Note that sulfuric acid is highly hygroscopic, so it will retain a certain amount of water. You would need to heat the liquid to drive off the remaining water. Quickest Method The fastest method to concentrate sulfuric acid is to boil the water out of the acid. This is fast but requires extreme care. Youll want to do this outdoors so you wont be exposed to acid fumes, using borosilicate glass (Pyrex or Kimax). There is always a risk of shattering a glass container no matter what you are heating, so you need to be prepared for that possibility. Do not leave this project unattended. Heat the battery acid in a borosilicate glass pan.When the liquid level stops dropping, you will have concentrated the acid as much as you can. At this point, the steam will be replaced by white vapor, too. Be careful to avoid inhaling the fumes.Allow the liquid to cool before transferring it to another container.Seal the container to prevent water from the air getting into the acid. If the container is left open too long, the sulfuric acid will become diluted. Safety Notes Its advisable to keep baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or another base on hand. If you spill some acid, you can quickly neutralize it by reacting it with the baking soda. Simply sprinkle baking soda on the spill.Be careful to avoid contact with the sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is one of the strong acids. It is extremely corrosive and will react vigorously and unpleasantly with skin, mucous membranes, clothing and just about anything else it touches. Do not breathe the vapors, do not touch the acid, and do not spill it. Tie long hair back, wear goggles and gloves and cover exposed skin.Dont use metal pans or utensils. Sulfuric acid reacts with metal. Also, it will attack some types of plastic. Glass is a good choice.Sulfuric acid reacts with water in an exothermic reaction, but dilution with water is the best way to deal with an acid spill. Be sure to have copious amounts of water available, just in case something goes wrong. You can flood a small amount of acid with water. One the ac id is diluted, it can be neutralized with a weak base, such as baking soda, Caution: Sulfuric acid will splash when mixed with water. If you are going to work with this acid, know and respect its properties. Fast Facts: Making Sulfuric Acid Diluted sulfuric acid may be concentrated by boiling the liquid.Because fumes will be involved, its best to concentrate sulfuric acid outdoors or under a fume hood. Sulfuric Acid Projects and More Once you have sulfuric acid, its a good idea to learn more about it before using it, including the risks associated with using it and what projects you can do with it: How to Prepare Sulfuric Acid Solutions/DilutionsSulfuric Acid and Sugar DemoMixing Sulfuric Acid and WaterWhat Is Battery Acid? Notes About Battery Acid Battery acid is about 35% sulfuric acid. You can purchase it at an automotive supply store. It may not be on the shelf, so ask for it. Battery acid may be sold in five-gallon boxes, with the acid in a heavy-duty plastic bag and a plastic tube to dispense the liquid. The box is heavy; it would be disastrous to drop it. Therefore, its a good idea to know what to expect. Its practical to dispense a working volume of acid rather than try to deal with the entire container. Although the acid may come in a plastic container, its best to store this acid in a glass bottle. Sulfuric acid reacts with some types of plastic and may corrode a plastic container. The example mentioned used a glass wine bottle that had a plastic screw-top cap. Whatever container you use, be certain to label it as sulfuric acid and poison and store it somewhere that children and pets cant get to it. Also, dont store acid with ammonia because the two chemicals mix to release toxic fumes.