Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses the effects of gratitude, forgiveness, humility, grace, and trust on marital satisfaction among Lebanese couples. It reveals that practicing the positive virtues of “trust, grace, and humility” is a predictor of better conflict-resolution skills and higher marital satisfaction.

Paper long abstract:

Lebanon is a small Mediterranean Country in the Middle East, located at the converging gates of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Lebanese people have endured many disturbances, losses, tragedies, and traumas in recent decades. All these mental-emotional hardships and social troubles have translated into severe stresses on families, communities, and relationships. In addition, the divorce rate has been increasing significantly in recent years. This paper investigated the effects of positive virtues such as gratitude, humility, forgiveness, trust, and grace on the marital satisfaction, in particular, among Lebanese couples. Data was gathered from 193 participants—133 females and 60 males, ranging from 25 to 70 years old. The years of marriage ranged between 2 months and 46 years. They were from different socio-economic classes and religious backgrounds (including Christians, Muslims, and Druze). The participants completed several instruments in English to assess the virtues involved -- Gratitude, Resentment and Appreciation Test – Short Form (GRAT-S), Relational Humility Scale (RHS), Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), Global Relational Attitudes Conflict Exam (GRACE), Dyadic Trust Scale (DTS), Couple Satisfaction Index-32 (CSI-32), and Honor Scale (HS-25). A multiple regression was performed to test the main hypothesis that gratitude, humility, forgiveness, grace, and trust are predictors of better marital satisfaction among these couples. The results revealed that specifically, “trust, grace, and humility” are good predictors of marital satisfaction, reaching a conclusion that Lebanese couples who practice such virtues appear to have better skills in dealing with struggles and conflicts, and thus having more satisfying relationships.