Same-sex marriages are a very recent development. I�m unaware of any civilization or culture in human history that has tolerated them, let alone encouraged them, until now. Because of their novelty, the jury is out as to whether they will be a short-term fad, soon to be discredited, or whether they will be found to be a very successful alternative to opposite-sex marriages for some people.

On the face of it, Marriage Builders concepts would seem to apply. After all, they�re simply a formula that helps create and sustain romantic love. Each of the ten concepts direct a couple toward behavior that makes enough Love Bank deposits to breach the romantic love threshold, enabling them to be in love with each other. If it works for opposite sex couples, why shouldn�t it work for same-sex couples?

Over the years, I have tried to help same-sex couples apply Marriage Builders concepts to the problems they face, and I still do occasionally. But I have been remarkably unsuccessful. On the other hand, when I apply them to opposite-sex couples, they work very well. It seems to me that there is something about same-sex romantic relationships that don�t work on a variety of levels, even when my basic concepts are applied.

That is borne out by some early studies comparing the success of same-sex relationships with opposite-sex relationships. One such study Gunnar Andersson, et. al. conducted in Sweden and Norway found that same-sex relationships were considerably more fragile than opposite-sex relationships. With a better understanding of them, they might be more successful. But my personal experience as a sex therapist working with same-sex oriented individuals gives me little hope that they will ever be as successful as opposite-sex relationships.

For that and other reasons, even though I do still respond to people in same-sex relationships, I do not encourage them. My personal view is that after a century of divorce data eventually comes in regarding comparisons between same-sex relationships and opposite-sex relationships, the majority of studies will conclude that people are better off with opposite-sex relationships, even when people are same-sex oriented. So to answer the question posed by this article, I don�t think that Marriage Builders Concepts apply to same-sex marriages.