Identifying the components of marital happiness in Iranian families: An grounded theory approach

Based on the shortcomings and gaps observed, especially in the research literature of Iran, the main purpose of this study was to use a qualitative approach to deeply understand the lived experience of happy Iranian couples in life. This qualitative research was conducted using a The grounded theory approach. Participants were 41 happy couples living in Zanjan who were purposefully selected based on the results of Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire and family counseling interview. The data collection method was a semi-structured interview. The results of the analysis identified four general themes and thirteen underlying factors for marital happiness experience including appropriate context (families, marriage readiness, financial resources), adaptive beliefs (realistic expectations, belief in understanding and acceptance, commitment and monitoring of commitment), relationship-strengthening behaviors (companionship and joint activity, communication skills, problem-solving, support, responsibility) and positive feelings (excitement, positive feeling, Aesthetics, Kindness). The themes identified in the present study, due to their relationship with theoretical foundations and their high abstraction, in addition to comprehensiveness, have a theoretical structure related to the body of knowledge and existing theories. The extracted components in the present study are explained from the perspective of cognitive-behavioral theory.