Use A Premarital Questionnaire To Learn More About Your Partner
Learning about your partner and understanding their preferences are essential for a strong relationship. While most couples naturally learn about each other throughout the relationship, taking a questionnaire can also be very effective for discovering your partner’s likes, dislikes, and more. They can help you to cover the deep questions that might otherwise be uncomfortable to discuss.
While self-administered premarital questionnaires aren't the same as formal premarital counseling, they work towards some of the same goals. They aim to help you and your partner get on the same page about important topics, develop realistic expectations for marriage, and sort out potential conflicts before they become serious.
Working through a premarital questionnaire together could help you and your partner enjoy some of the same benefits as couples who complete premarital counseling. These include simple adjustments to the marriage, more robust communication, smoother conflict resolution, a more profound commitment to each other, and a stronger sense of working together as a team.
Here are some typical questions you’ll find on a premarital questionnaire:
What do you see for your future?
It’s helpful for partners to understand what each wants for the future. Not all of your goals and dreams must be the same to be happy, but if they aren’t at least compatible, it could create complications in the relationship later.
As you discuss the future, note how similar dreams and goals can cause potential stress. For example, it's exciting to find a partner with the same drive for a high-powered career as you have, but in certain situations, it may contribute to complications in your future family life, regardless of if kids are in the picture or not. A strong, flexible relationship can overcome and accommodate many differences. However, this is easier if you know these differences before becoming an issue and have a game plan for working them out.
What are your expectations for the relationship?
Understanding your mutual expectations for the relationship can help build a strong foundation. Expectations can take many forms, from social roles to household tasks to romantic availability. Discussing these expectations can help you accept areas where your expectations may not be met, find places to compromise, and learn what your partner expects from you.
Some people may have unrealistic expectations about marriage and their partner’s role. Sometimes these expectations are even subconscious, and the reasons we may feel resentment or trepidation aren’t always clear. By discussing them ahead of time, you'll be able to form realistic and healthy expectations that can help you build a strong marriage.
How will you manage your finances?
Do you and your partner want separate accounts and keep your money separate? Will one of you work and the other stays home? Will you pool all your money into a joint account so that you can divide it? These issues will be necessary for your relationship in the future, and while many of them could work for you, choosing one is important.
Our family often sets up our expectations about finances and social examples growing up. If your partner doesn't have the same expectations about finances, it isn’t necessarily a sign that they don't trust you or that something is wrong with your relationship. Most of the time, it simply means they had a different family or social example. It's important to be willing to compromise to find a financial setup you and your partner feel comfortable with.
What do your marriage vows mean to you?
Marriage can mean different things to different people. Understanding what those vows mean to you is crucial to a solid foundation. Ensure that each of you considers what you want your relationship to look like and what you'll be willing to accept.
For example, one of the most important things to discuss in your relationship is your view on monogamy. Defining the sexual and emotional boundaries of your relationship is crucial to its success. Even if you both agree that monogamy is important, it might be necessary to establish what the term means to each of you.
A realistic discussion about your marriage vows' “technical side” might feel like a heavy subject to discuss during the romantic engagement period. Still, it can be an important tool for keeping the love alive long-term.
What are the most important things to you?
Do you have specific things that are more important in your life than anything else? If you don’t already know or aren’t entirely sure, find out what’s important to your mate and how those things may compare. Be sure to discuss which you will work towards first and how they will play a part in your life.
Like your goals and dreams, you don't need to share the same most important things. It’s just as important that you’re willing to support each other's pursuit of what matters to each of you. Establishing that your important things aren't mutually exclusive is also a good idea. Some potentially important areas to consider include religion, hobbies, lifestyle, and friends.
Some of these areas are more difficult to compromise on than others, but many couples have built successful marriages that include significant differences in these areas. This is more likely if you find these differences early and make space for discussion and compromise in your relationship.
What will your living arrangements be?
Are you going to move into their place? Are they going to move into yours? You may be planning to get an entirely new home that's just for the two of you. Do you have different plans if you have children? Or other plans if you get a new job or promotion? Knowing these things will be necessary for your future.
In addition to the big question of where you will live as a couple, it's good to know each other's expectations for using the new space. If you feel a deep need for your own space, it's good to be clear about this early on so that you can decide on the best use of your living area. Deciding on your living arrangements now can help you avoid potentially unpleasant surprises in the sometimes-stressful adjustment period after marriage. Most differences in expectations can be resolved with negotiation early on, and your premarital prep time is an ideal place to do that.
What is your communication style?
While there may be some debate over whether good communication creates a more harmonious relationship or if a balanced relationship cultivates better communication- there is no doubt that healthy communication is often the foundation of a happy relationship. It can be difficult to resolve conflict or reach compromises if you have communication challenges, leading to misunderstandings resulting in hurt feelings or long-term resentment.
If you tend to be very direct and assertive, your partner could mistake this for aggression. By contrast, if your partner makes their needs and wishes known very indirectly, you might not even realize that they're asking for something. Like most questions on this list, you and your partner can have a different communication style. All you need is to understand each other's style and be willing to learn to listen to what the other person is saying.
Online therapy: A space to learn more about your partner
The questions featured above are only a few examples of what you may find in a premarital questionnaire. For a more thorough examination, you can search the internet and find dozens of couples therapy questionnaire to help you prepare for marriage.
As you work through these lists of questions, you may find a few “snags” where you and your partner have difficulty resolving differences, coming to a compromise, or understanding each other. In some cases, couples seek the advice of a trained relationship therapist to help them work through these issues. Many therapists and counselors offer specific premarital counseling that addresses the topics that a questionnaire might cover but in much more depth. Formal premarital counseling also has the advantage of being guided by a professional who can help you discuss issues effectively and resolve conflicts.
With the rise of the popularity of online therapy, many couples choose to use platforms like Regain to match with an experienced, licensed relationship counselor. Online therapy allows couples to book appointments on a schedule that’s convenient for them from the comfort of home or anywhere with a reliable internet connection. For some, online therapy is also more affordable than traditional counseling without insurance.
A growing body of research suggests that online couples therapy is as effective as conventional in-person therapy. For example, a 2021 Australian study measured the progress both during and three months after treatment of 30 couples participating in online therapy over six sessions. The couples reported significant satisfaction with the therapeutic process and showed considerable adherence to the treatment plan throughout the six sessions and beyond.
Takeaway
If you’re ready to take the next step in your relationship and prepare for married life, a premarital questionnaire can be an excellent tool to set you up for success. If you’d like to lay a more solid, lasting foundation for your future together, speak with a professional counselor experienced in helping couples with premarital preparation.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What questions are asked in pre-marriage counseling?
The type of premarital counseling questionnaire you receive may depend on why you’ve decided to attend premarital counseling at all. Pre-marriage counseling questions can vary, so trust that your therapist is personalizing them for your situation. Your counselor may ask some common but important questions to ensure that he or she understands your relationship, goals, and experiences.
Examples of some of these premarital counseling questions might include:
- What brings you to premarital counseling?
- What counseling questions are you nervous/unsure about approaching? Why?
- How long has your relationship been going on?
- How would you describe your partner?
- Are there any areas of concern that you’d like to prioritize?
It’s normal to be intimidated by working with a new therapist and answering intimate questions (pre-marriage counseling questions can sometimes provoke uncomfortable feelings). Still, it can help keep in mind that your therapist is only working in your best interest and is not there to judge you.
What are the most important questions to ask before marriage?
If you asked a hundred different couples the most important pre-marriage counseling questions, they could give you a hundred different answers. Try to keep communication as open and honest as possible to cover what you can before marriage. Here are some common but important questions that you could consider asking before marriage:
- Why are you getting married?
- Why are you attracted to your partner? What about them appeals to you?
- How will you manage your lives together?
- How will you help each other improve or manage each other’s faults?
It’s important to ask these sorts of questions to ensure that you are in touch with your feelings and certain decisions to carry on with a marriage. Counseling questions and other important questions that dive into our personal lives can be hard to answer, but they are sometimes necessary.
If you attend premarital counseling, couples counseling, or another type of therapy, you might have an opportunity to discuss specific premarital counseling questions. Premarital counseling questions are counseling questions specifically focused on your relationship, future marriage, and related concerns.
What are the 3 most important things in a marriage?
While what’s important in a marriage can vary from couple to couple, here are three important things generally considered to contribute to a happy, healthy marriage:
- Good, open communication skills
- Consistent empathy and a desire to support your partner
- A willingness to change, adapt, or otherwise react to challenges in life.
These three things can help promote a healthy and sustainable environment within your relationship. Premarital counseling or marriage counseling are great opportunities to work on these skills and help support your marriage.
Premarital counseling and premarital counseling questions are great for those engaged (or thinking of becoming engaged). Still, marriage counseling/couples therapy and marriage counseling questions can also be effective for those already established as a married couple.
Even with marriage counseling questions and procedures, what really matters in a marriage is whatever you and your partner believe matters. Whether you have a home marriage proposal and a home marriage ceremony or something more extravagant, and whether you attend therapy or not, your love for one another will likely guide what you find to be important in your unique relationship.
How many relationships should you have before marriage?
It’s possible to have had many partners before marriage or not have a partner before marriage at all. Having some relationship experience under your belt probably prepares you to find a more compatible partner in the future, among other things, but that’s not to say that you mustbe in multiple relationships before marriage.
What does matter is that you’re genuinely ready for marriage? To discover whether this is the case for you, it can help to ask yourself important questions that dive deep into your relationship's heart and your goals in life.
If you choose to attend premarital or couples counseling, further pre-marriage counseling questions or marriage counseling questions may help you make a better, more thoughtful decision than any certain quantity of relationships.
What is the secret to a happy marriage?
Communication is extremely important in any relationship, but especially in a healthy marriage. In fact, couples who have good communication skills and can address tough topics together are more likely to stay together for longer periods of time.
Communication skills bleed into all parts of our lives, so it’s fair to assume that they’re usually a big part of a happy marriage. Many couples who utilize couples counseling or similar services (premarital counseling, marriage counseling questions, etc.) find that the root of many of their issues is, in fact, a lack of proper communication.
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