Military Marriages: A Look at Dialectical Tensions, Deployment, and Military Life Through Navy Wives' Eyes

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the lived military relationships of eighteen Navy wives whose husbands were stationed on the Naval Air Station Whidbey Base in Oak Harbor, Washington. The researcher performed interviews to better understand how internal dialectical tensions- autonomy-connection, novelty-predictability, and opennessclosedness - were manifested throughout deployment, and what strategies were used to cope with those tensions. Results suggested that a variety of tensions characterized these marital relationships throughout the course of a deployment. The tensions that coincide with military lifestyles were often addressed by using the reframing coping strategy. A military/non-military external tension emerged from the data that influenced the internal tensions and coping strategies of Navy wives. The knowledge gained from this study may help military couples balance tensions throughout the deployment process and create more satisfactory relationships.