How to Pick a Mate: The Guide to a Happy Marriage - Clifford R. Adams; Vance Packard

ARE YOU OLD ENOUGH TO MARRY?

Your chronological age is not as important as some of your other ages in determining whether you are ready for marriage. The informal check below may give you a rough idea of your maturity for marriage.

Physiological Maturity
Are you 20 years old or older?	Yes	No
Are you in general good health?	Yes	No
As far as you know is your glandular balance normal?	Yes	No
Mental Maturity
Did you finish the eighth grade without repeating more than one grade?	Yes	No
Do you read the news daily?	Yes	No
By age 20 had you completed at least two years of college or earned your own living for 2 years?	Yes	No
Vocational Maturity
Are you prepared by education or experience to make a living in a specific occupation, or in managing a home?	Yes	No
Have you attained your 22d birthday?	Yes	No
Do you have a job doing work for which you have prepared?	Yes	No
Sexual Maturity
Have you been dating at least once a month since age 16?	Yes	No
Are your attitudes toward sex free from disgust or aversion?	Yes	No
Were your parents easy to talk to about sex?	Yes	No
Emotional Maturity
Do you get along well with people?	Yes	No
Do you trust people and do they trust you?	Yes	No
Do you usually do today what is supposed to be done today?	Yes	No

Give yourself one point for each yes answer. You should have a total score of at least twelve and should have no less than two yes answers in each category if you are to be judged old enough to marry.

ARE YOU GROWN UP EMOTIONALLY?

More than almost anything else, your rating on “emotional maturity” reveals your chances of achieving a happy marriage. Here is a more detailed test of your rating on this crucial trait. Answer yes only if you are sure.

1.	Can you accept criticism without having your feelings hurt?	Yes	No
2.	Are you normally free from jealousy?	Yes	No
3.	When you have differences with people can you usually work out compromises that satisfy you and don’t leave hard feelings?	Yes	No
4.	Do you behave yourself because it seems the natural thing to do and not because you fear the consequences of misbehaving?	Yes	No
5.	Do you think most people are honest, decent and worth while?	Yes	No
6.	Are you happy most of the time—and free from violent emotional outbursts?	Yes	No
7.	Before beginning a new project or making a final decision do you honestly weigh the arguments for and against it?	Yes	No
8.	Can you be away from the place you live for a month without getting homesick?	Yes	No
9.	Do you willingly abide by established authority and the customs of your community?	Yes	No
10.	Can you make your own personal decisions without depending on friends and relatives to help you make up your mind?	Yes	No
11.	Are you free from vague aches, nail biting, flustered stammering?	Yes	No
12.	Can you postpone something you want to do now in order to have greater enjoyment later?	Yes	No
13.	Are you living zestfully in the present instead of bragging about past deeds?	Yes	No
14.	Do you go to sleep easily and normally slumber without nightmares?	Yes	No
15.	Do you get along well with your parents, relatives, and close friends?	Yes	No
16.	When things go wrong do you find the cause and correct it instead of blaming others or lamenting your bad breaks?	Yes	No
17.	Are you living up to the responsibilities which go along with the privileges given to you?	Yes	No
18.	Have you friends among both sexes, some older and some younger than you are?	Yes	No

If you honestly answered yes to fourteen of these or more you are more mature emotionally than the average person. If you answered yes to sixteen or more you should have an exceptionally good chance for a happy marriage.