Alternative life style and marital satisfaction: A brief report

Abstract

A number of social scientists have expressed the view that alternative life style ("swinging") tends to improve marital harmony among those who engage in it. To examine this view, data were collected from a sample of individuals attending an alternative life styles (ALS) convention. The results suggest that a large majority of the respondents were satisfied with their participation in ALS, despite differential effects on marriage. Of those respondants who were married or had been married, 14.1% reported that participation in ALS had helped to keep their marriage together and 16.9% believed that their participation in ALS had resulted in a divorce or separation. The results are interpreted as failing to support the view that ALS participation usually improves marital adjustment. Apparently, ALS behavior is as likely to disrupt a marriage as to improve it.