Abstract: the article is devoted to a theoretical analysis of existing concepts of choosing a marriage partner and those modern socio-psychological factors that contribute to the marriage of young men and women. The necessity of such an analysis is substantiated in view of the tendency of functional reconstruction of marriage relations, which has become evident in modern society. The article analyzes theories that describe the sequence of stages, or phases, of the development of relations with a future marriage partner.
The main purpose of writing a scientific article is to study the problem of choosing a life partner for modern youth, correlating conclusions with the most famous theories of the relationship between the processes of interpersonal perception and the dynamics of premarital relations.
The theoretical material of the article allows us to consider the process of choosing a marriage partner, the phased development of relations between a man and a woman, as well as the socio-moral attitudes of young people regarding marriage and premarital intimate relations. These articles are based on studies by proponents of role theory, in particular T. Parsons, R. Bales, B. Harber, R. Orth, who emphasized the particular importance of matching the role expectations of partners with their role behavior. It must be emphasized that these researchers found a correlation between this match and overall satisfaction with the marriage.
Particular attention is paid to the concept of B. Murstein “Stimulus-Value-Role” as the most structured and developed strategy for choosing a marriage partner.
Keywords: marriage partner, premarital relations, functional reconstruction of marriage, factors of partner choice, stages of development of relation