A Study of the Effects of Family Function and the Self-differentiation of Individuals in Early Adulthood upon the Consciousness of Cohabitation before Marriage
AUTHOR : 양수진,임춘희
INFORMATION : page. 173~198 / 2012 Vol.19 No.4
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects that personal and familial factors have on the consciousness of
cohabitation before marriage as it pertains to individuals in early adulthood amongst college students. To
investigate the research questions posed by this study, 370 college students attending K University in Jeollabuk-do
were surveyed and the collected data was analyzed statistically. The main results are as follows. First, it revealed
that the college students were more permissive in their attitudes to the notion of cohabitation before marriage a).
if they had previous experiences having fallen into love and had previous sexual experience, b). if they had the
acquaintances who were living together before marriage, c). if they had previously lived away from family for a
significant period, d). if they graduated from a coeducational or men's high schools. Additionally, college students
were more permissive in their attitudes to the notion of cohabitation before marriage if they had already cut their
emotional ties from their family in terms of self-differentiation and they experienced democratic child-rearing
from their parents. Secondly, the consciousness of college students to cohabitation before marriage was explained
by them having emotionally cut ties with their family, had previous experiences of sex, experienced democratic
child-rearing from their parents. The question of gender also impacted upon attitudes. College students was more
permissive in their attitudes to the notion of cohabitation before marriage if they were male students, and had
experienced emotionally cutting ties with their parents, and if they had experienced sex before marriage, and if
they were brought up in a democratic atmosphere. In short, it is possible to argue that the self-differentiation and
family function of college students had a meaningful and significant effect partially due to their permissiveness to
cohabitation before marriage. The implications of this study were also discussed.