By ERIN MORRISON
erin@newsroom.byu.edu
To prepare for a successful marriage, 2,000 people each year for the past two years have taken a relationship evaluation, offered by the BYU Family Studies Center.
RELATE is a 271-question evaluation used as a premarital assessment tool, said Tom Holman, a professor of marriage, family and human development, and director of the RELATE project.
RELATE may be taken by any couple who is interested in establishing a basis to strengthen their relationship, Holman said. In addition, students in certain classes at BYU and other universities are required to take RELATE.
'It's best for young couples who are making the decision to get married,' Holman said.
Holman said RELATE is not a test, it's an evaluation.
'You don't get a final score. You can't flunk,' he said.
The evaluation covers topics such as personal values, children, finances, personalities, family lives, communication and conflict management styles.
The questions are based on research that best predicts marital qualities, Holman said. Results are compiled based on the answers given by the respondents.
'It tells them what they've told us. With both eyes wide open, they can evaluate the relationship,' Holman said.
RELATE has been around since fall of 1997. It is actually the third edition of a marriage evaluation which was first offered in 1980.
Currently it is offered in English, Spanish and Portuguese. By January 2000, the evaluation will also be offered on the Internet, Holman said.
RELATE's intent is to bring issues into the open that will be faced later in the marriage.
The survey allows you to change how you can respond to the problems that arise in a marriage.
Mark O. Jarvis, the research assistant for the RELATE program, said taking the evaluation can be useful in a relationship.
'Anybody who is in a serious relationship can benefit from it,' Jarvis said.
Jarvis took the evaluation with his wife after two and a half years of marriage. He said he found out he didn't know all there is to know about his wife.
Ruth Remington, 22, a sophomore from Gettysburg, Pa., majoring in accounting, took the evaluation with her boyfriend. They did not actually turn the test in to get results, but did discuss their answers.
'It gave us a focus of how much we didn't know each other. We talk a lot more about our relationship and analyze it more now,' she said.
RELATE is offered for anyone over the age of 18. The evaluation is not written in conjunction with any religion.
For those close to campus, the Testing Center has RELATE forms for sale at $4 each ($8 a couple). Those away from campus can request the forms from the Family Studies Center, located in 380 SWKT, for the same price.
Holman said it is important to fill out the forms separately -- that means not discussing the questions with one another before marking the answers.
Ten days after sending the forms back to the Family Studies Center, results will be sent back.
Holman said the results consist of a 19-page printout of 60 different issues, complete with bar graphs.