MUSICAL EXPERIENCES AND EMOTIONAL CRISES IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESS OF MARRIAGE – A JOINT PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY AND MUSIC PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbmusica.2026.1.08Keywords:
marriage, music psychology, emotional regulation, natural crisis, ritual, relationship dynamicsAbstract
This study examines the marriage ceremony from the perspectives of pastoral psychology and music psychology, with a particular focus on the emotional dynamics of natural developmental crises and the emotion-regulating role of music. Marriage, as a transition to a new life stage, involves a significant psychosocial transformation, in which ambivalent emotions, such as joy, uncertainty, anxiety, and fear of commitment, all emerge. This study demonstrates how music – particularly personally selected, jointly enjoyed, or ritually embedded musical pieces – can contribute to the resolution of emotional tensions, identity integration, and a deepening of communication within the couple. Music does not merely appear as an aesthetic element in the wedding ritual but functions as an affective mediator: it structures experiences, aids in emotional reframing, and supports the constructive processing of a crisis. Jointly listening to music creates an opportunity for reflective dialogue and becoming aware of the mourning process surrounding past relationship experiences, as well as aiding in reinforcing to concept of commitment. The study also integrates the theological and cultural-historical dimensions of marriage, highlighting that music, as one of the oldest ritual elements in human culture, can serve as an important tool for the emotional stabilization of relational transitions. The study’s interdisciplinary approach contributes to music psychology research by interpreting the function of musical experiences within the psychological context of a specific life event, namely marriage.
References
Almási, Kitty. Hűtlenség (Infidelity). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNMyuEFa7vQ (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Angster, Mária. A családállítás (Family Constellation). In: Emőke Bagdy – Zsuzsanna Mirnics – Erika Nyitrai (Eds.): Transperszonális pszichológia és pszichoterápia (Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy), Budapest 2011, Kulcslyuk Publishing.
Atkinson – Hilgard. Psychology. Budapest 2005, Osiris.
Babbie, Earl. A társadalomtudományi kutatás gyakorlata (The Practice of Social Science Research). Budapest 2008, Balassi Publishing.
Bandura, Albert – Walters, Richard H. Social Learning and Personality Development. New York 1963, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Barnard, Christiaan. 50 Ways to a Healthy Heart. Munich 2000, ECON Ulstein List Verlag.
Berne, Eric. Sex in Human Loving. Bungay–Suffolk 1973, Penguin Books.
Bíró, Sándor – Bucsay, Mihály – Tóth, Endre – Varga, Zoltán. A Magyar Református Egyház története (A History of the Hungarian Reformed Church). Sárospatak 1995.
Brennen, Barrington H. Marriage is a Public Affair. http://www.soencouragement.org/marriage-is-a-public-affair.htm (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Buday, Dezső. A házasság bölcselete (The Philosophy of Marriage). Budapest 1901.
Cain, William S. Olfaction. In: Atkinson et al. (Eds.): Stevens’ Handbook of Experimental Psychology. New York 1988.
Calvin, John. Institutio. Budapest 1936.
Chapman, Gary D. A házasság négy évszaka (The Four Seasons of Marriage). Harmat Publishing, Budapest, 2017.
Chrysostom, John St. On Marriage and Family Life. New York, 2003.
Clark, Russell D. – Hatfield, Elaine. Gender Differences in Receptivity to Sexual Offers. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 1989.
Coelho, Paulo. A kém (The Spy). Athenaeum, Budapest 2016.
Csanády, Márti. Kincsünket cserépedényben őrizzük (We Keep Our Treasure in Earthen Vessels), https://ujember.hu/kincsunket-cserepedenyben-orizzuk/ (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Cusack, Dymphna. Ketten a halál ellen (Two Against Death). Bucharest 1968.
Dolhai, Lajos. A házasság szentségének liturgiatörténete (The Liturgical History of the Sacrament of Marriage). https://www.epa.hu/ (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Eagly, Alice H. – Wood, Wendy. The Origins of Sex Differences in Human Behavior. American Psychologist, 1999.
Eurostat. Marriage and divorce statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/. (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Feingold, Alan. Gender differences in effects of physical attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1990.
Gyökössy, Endre. Magunkról magunknak (About Ourselves, for Ourselves). Budapest, 1998.
Hall, Edward T. The Hidden Dimension. New York 1966.
Hamvas, Béla. Patmos II. Budapest 2004.
Hézser, Gábor. A pásztori pszichológia gyakorlati kézikönyve (A Practical Handbook of Pastoral Psychology). Budapest 1995.
Hézser, Gábor. Pasztorálpszichológiai szempontok az istentisztelet útkereséséhez (Pastoral-Psychological Perspectives on the Search for Worship). Budapest, 2007.
Hézser, Gábor. Újra szárnyra kapni (Taking Flight Again). Târgu Mureș, 2014.
Huebner, Rudolf. A History of Germanic Private Law. New Jersey, 2000.
Hyde, Janet S. A társas tanulás és társas szerepek hatása (The Impact of Social Learning and Social Roles). In: Atkinson–Hilgard.
Ignatius. The Duties of Husbands and Wives. https://biblehub.com/. (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Kingdon, Robert. Adultery and Divorce in Calvin’s Geneva. Cambridge, 1995.
Kostenberger, Andreas J. The Bible's Teaching on Marriage and Family. https://downloads.frc.org/. (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Kozma, Zsolt. Pojmenika. Cluj-Napoca, 2000.
Luther, Martin. Asztali beszélgetések (Table Talks). Budapest, 2014.
Luther, Martin. Az egyház babiloni fogságáról (On the Babylonian CaptivityChurch). Budapest, 2005.
Luther, Martin. Esketési könyvecske (The Book of Marriage). Budapest, 1996.
Magyar, Balázs Dávid. Kálvin neveléstanának újszövetségi vonatkozásai (New Testament References in Calvin’s Pedagogy). Református Szemle, 2013.
McKee, John P. – Sherriffs, Alex C. The Differential Evaluation of Males and Females. Journal of Personality, 1957.
Menuhin, Yehudi – Davis, Curtis W. The Music of Man. Ontario, 1979.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. The Marriage of Figaro. 1786.
Müller, Lajos. A keresztyén házasság (Christian Marriage). Budapest, 1921.
Nagy Sándor Béla. Kálvin egyházkormányzati alapelvei (Calvin’s Principles of Church Government). Theologiai Szemle, 1959.
Niesel, Wilhelm. Az evangélium és az egyházak (The Gospel and the Churches). Cluj-Napoca, 1979.
Osváth, Péter. Az életciklus-krízisek jelentősége (The Significance of Life Cycle Crises). Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica, 2012.
Ozment, Steven. When Fathers Ruled. Cambridge, 1983.
Pál, Ferenc. A magánytól az összetartozásig (From Solitude to Belonging). Budapest, 2014.
Popper, Péter. Lelkek és göröngyök (Souls and Stones). Budapest, 2005.
Rankin, David. Tertullian and the Church. New York, 1995.
Rhode, Deborah L. The Difference “Difference” Makes. Stanford, 2003.
Sala, Harold J. Something More Than Love. Denver, 1983.
Songbook.hu. Hogyan mondjam el neked (How Can I Tell You). https://songbook.hu/. (Accessed on March 3, 2026).
Tertullian. Ad uxorem. (Online source).
Theissen, Gerd. Az őskeresztyénség élményvilága (The World of Experience in Early Christianity). Budapest, 2008.
Tillich, Paul. Létbátorság (The Courage to Be). Budapest, 2010.
Varga Zsigmond J. (ed.). Görög–magyar szótár (Greek–Hungarian Dictionary). Budapest, 1996.
Walther, Vilmos. Luther jelleme (The Character of Luther). Budapest, 2007.
Weiss, Mindy – Levine, Lisbeth. The Wedding Book. New York, 2016.
Werner, P. D. – LaRussa, G. W. Persistence and Change in Sex-Role Stereotypes. Sex Roles, 1985.
Wolff, Hans Walter. Anthropology of the Old Testament. Gütersloh, 1973.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Musica
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
