Polygamous families in contemporary society

by Irwin Altman

Social psychologist Irwin Altman and anthropologist Joseph Ginat examine husband-wife and wife-wife relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families in this intriguing book. Using interviews and observations, they describe how husbands and wives in plural families cope with their complex lifestyle in many facets of everyday life, including courtship, weddings, honeymoons, adjustments to a new life, living arrangements, and the husband's rotation among his wives. Other topics covered are budget and resource management, psychological attachments to homes, and the social and emotional relationships between family members. This is the first comprehensive analysis of life in present-day Mormon polygamous families in American society. Adopting a transactional and dialectic approach, the authors being an interdisciplinary perspective to this unique form of family structure in modern society.