Selecting The Right Mate

When we are looking for a mate, we tend to zero in on those whose ethnic, religious, economic, and educational background closely approximates our own; size and other physical attributes are also significant factors. Where we're least likely to match up with a similar person is in the area of compatibility. And this can lead to trouble. Personality factors are not as easy to observe as height and hair color, and people don't usually reveal their true selves until after the honeymoon.

They are usually on their best behavior during courtship. People of opposite personalities often attract each other in relationships; the initial thouht is that one personality rounds out the other. Unfortunately, the outcome is often to the contrary. In time, one person begin to try to change the other.

In modern urban societies, mate selection is done and by parents, as in times past, but by the couple themselves, often through chance encounters or introduction by friends.