Opinion Statement Assignment
Worth 10% of your final grade
Select one of the following options and write a 1-page (double-spaced) opinion
statement. You do not need to include reference sources or citations.
1. Committed, long-term relationships: Case study
Dyad 1: Sebastian and Julie – are both cisgender and in a straight relationship.
They are not married, nor engaged. They are contemplating living together in a
few months.
Dyad 2: Jamie and Leah – are lesbians in a non-binary relationship. They are not
married, nor engaged. They are contemplating living together in a few months.
Based on the provided studies in the chapter, consider the following:
a. Which dyad is likely to transition into a successful, long-term
relationship once they are living together? Why?
b. If you were a relationship counsellor, what advice would you give
each dyad? Would you expect it to vary at all based on sexual orientation?
Why or why not? What other individual differences factors would you need
to consider in addressing this question (e.g., attachment-style, self-
esteem, culture, historical context, personality)?
2. Relationship compositions and context: Case study
∙ A scenario is presented of varied dyadic compositions (of straight couples) in the
context of different historical periods. There are three compositions of dyads
each moving across historical periods.
Dyad 1: Traditional man paired with a traditional woman.
Dyad 2: Traditional man or woman paired with an other-sex androgenous
partner.
Dyad 3: Both partners are androgenous in their sex role attributes.
∙ Can you give examples of stereotypical sex and gender roles that were
commonplace in the 1920s, 1950s, and 1970s in Western societies?
What do these roles look like now?
∙ What are the trends in relationship satisfaction and duration, and have
they changed over the decades? Why or why not?
∙ How has the language around sex and gender roles changed across the
ages (generations) in liberal (progressive) societies?
