The main purpose of this book is to promote successful relationships by isolating the key factors that contribute to the success or failure of the marriage experience.

Samms selected ten key factors by ferreting out the main issues that affected his marriages to his deceased wife Pamela (48 years) and his present wife Petula and by reviewing the findings of some prominent relationship professionals.

The word paradigms is used in the title to indicate that simple patterns or graphic illustrations were employed to assist the readers to more easily understand the key issues that determine the success or failure of the marital relationship. Taken seriously, these ten illustrated strategies should provide significant aid to married couples as well as to single and divorced individuals who hope to be married and develop successful relationships.

Paradigms of Marriage with Companion Workbook is based on the view that we can isolate the reasons for marriages, after an exhilarating beginning—either drift toward pain, pressure, and problems or climb toward enjoyment, pleasure, and happiness. This book focuses on the tension between pit and paradise, revealing which issues lead relationships to the pit and which lead to paradise. Each chapter suggests ways for couples to avoid the pit and achieve paradise. It is designed to help couples discover and remain on the path to marital success.

The basic ideas are drawn from the authors' previously published book Making Marriage Meaningful but here, a more practical approach is developed. This book is the published form of the PowerPoint presentations used in the Marriage Motivational Series.