My Great-Grandfather's Remarriage With Different Sociological Theories

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In this paper I will be comparing my experience with my great-grandfather’s remarriage with different sociological theories on later life remarriage. My great-grandmother died suddenly of a stroke when I was young. Our family was of course shocked and filled with grief. It was almost as shocking, though, when my great-grandfather decided to marry his childhood friend less than a year after my great-grandmother’s passing. The reactions of my family members varied by person and over time. I will examine how our reactions relate to the experiences that are suggested by research studies and different sociological theories.
After my great-grandmother’s passing everyone in the family dealt with the grief differently. My immediate family has always been quite close
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The women he chose to marry had a very different personality than my great-grandmother had. There are many different theories on mate selection. The complementary needs theory says that everyone has different needs in a relationship and they will chose someone who meets those needs. In the case of my great-grandpa this theory seemed to fit somewhat well. My great-grandpa had always kept his house a bit cluttered where as his new wife liked everything in order. He always wanted guests to make themselves at home and help themselves where as she wanted to provide guests with activities and wait on them. This theory isn’t a perfect fit with what my family experienced, though. We noticed that my great-grandpa’s personality changed significantly when he entered the new relationship. It seemed as though his personality was adapting to be a better fit with his new wife. He became much more relaxed and accommodating than he had ever been when he was married to my great-grandma. This suggests that he didn’t choose his new wife because she met his personality needs, rather that they adapted to each other’s

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