Brian Willoughby once interviewed a young woman named Liz as part of a longitudinal study.
She was 19 when the study started, working on her undergraduate degree at an American university. She’d grown up with two married parents, ample financial resources and abundant emotional support; and she was engaged to a young man she’d met at her church. Liz appeared well on her way to replicating her parents’ marital and family success, Willoughby said.
But several years later, when he met with her again for the study, Liz’s life looked different than he expected. Her engagement had ended, largely due to her desire to leave the religious faith of her family; she’d had one serious relationship since then, but was single at the time of her second interview; and she was more cynical when she spoke about marriage.