STABILITY OVER SELF: A CONSTRUCTIVIST GROUNDED THEORY OF THE MARITAL PARADOX AMONG PAKISTANI COUPLES

Abstract

Marriage in Pakistani society is widely regarded as a lifelong institution sustained by cultural, religious, and familial obligations. Yet a pervasive paradox exists whereby many couples remain in marriages characterized by emotional dissatisfaction, conflict, and psychological distress. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of Pakistani married couples who maintained stable but emotionally unfulfilling marriages, a phenomenon conceptualized as the marital paradox. Drawing on Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) as outlined by Charmaz (2006), semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 participants (seven couples) recruited through purposive sampling across diverse regions and socioeconomic backgrounds in Pakistan. Data analysis proceeded through iterative cycles of initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding using NVivo 12, yielding 59 initial codes, 23 focused codes, and eight theoretical categories. The emergent grounded theory of Stability Over Self reveals that marital endurance in the Pakistani context is primarily sustained not by mutual affection or satisfaction but by a convergence of deeply embedded sociocultural forces, economic constraints, religious obligations, and internalized coping mechanisms. The eight theoretical categories are: Social and Cultural Pressures, Emotional Regulation and Acceptance, Fear of Divorce and Reputation, Financial Dependency, Children as a Stabilizing Force, Coping through Distraction and Faith, Gender Role Expectations, and Emerging Hopes for Change. These categories illuminate how individuals suppress personal emotional needs to preserve the marital institution, often at significant psychological cost. The findings contribute a culturally grounded theoretical framework to the marital and family literature and carry important implications for counseling practice, policy reform, and community intervention in collectivist societies.