Reconfiguring theoretical approaches is needed as growing numbers of adults are experiencing extended periods of singlehood. There is a central distinction in intentionality, which creates a voluntary or involuntary status. Voluntary individuals have chosen to be marriage-free. Involuntary individuals wish to be cohabited/married but have been unable to do so. The purpose of this paper is to describe the linkages among characteristics of voluntary/involuntary singlehood and concepts from four theories (social exchange, symbolic interactionism, family development, chaos). These theories were chosen because they are commonly addressed in family science teaching and scholarship. They are used as conceptual lenses to guide relational or familial research, but there has been little attention to their potential linkages to singlehood. Given the voluntary-involuntary distinction, linkages are drawn to each type. This paper highlights how four traditional theories can be bridged with diverse components of singlehood experiences.

中文翻译：

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自愿和非自愿单身：四种理论中概念的显着性

随着越来越多的成年人正在经历长时间的单身，需要重新配置理论方法。意向性有一个核心区别，它创造了自愿或非自愿状态。自愿的个人选择不结婚。非自愿的个人希望同居/结婚但未能做到。本文的目的是描述自愿/非自愿单身特征与四种理论（社会交换、象征互动、家庭发展、混乱）概念之间的联系。选择这些理论是因为它们通常在家庭科学教学和学术中得到解决。它们被用作指导关系或家庭研究的概念镜头，但很少有人关注它们与单身的潜在联系。鉴于自愿与非自愿的区别，每种类型都存在联系。本文重点介绍了四种传统理论如何与单身经历的不同组成部分相结合。