Journal of Counseling Research

Life is purposeful by nature. The universe purposefulness is the first important issue in Islamic ontology. The family serves numerous purposes in different forms. The family function is the concept that directly affects needs, goals, satisfaction, and emotions directly.  

There are numerous functions assumed for the marriage. The purposefulness of such function needs to be investigated. This study adopts a qualitative method to scrutinize the intended variable, i.e. the marriage functions purposefulness, in both satisfied/ dissatisfied couples. All the people who are married for at least three years and have one child participated in this study. They all live in Ahvaz.  24 people were selected using systematic sampling procedure. These people were actually the ones who were referred to counseling center of Ahvaz education office. They scored over 70 and less than 30 in Enrich Marital Satisfaction questionnaire. The relevant data was analyzed using in - depth interviews. Grounded theory was also used to analyze the interview findings.   

The results revealed both satisfied/ dissatisfied couples were similar concerning primary functions of marriage. The difference was noticed regarding social skills, affection, and emotions.  

Regarding ontology, the couples' beliefs and attitudes play an important role in their marital life. Attitudes, behaviors, interactions, and communications follow unique directions based on a specific ontological view.  

Key words: marital satisfaction, marriage functions, purposefulness.