Endogamy and exogamy are two terms that refer to marriage to a person who comes from inside or outside one’s immediate social group respectively (Monger, 2013) . However, these words are also used to imply a biological phenomenon of inbreeding and outbreeding. Notably, the rules applied to exogamy marriages may as well specify the kind of outside group that one should marry. Apparently, the severity of enforcing exogamous restrictions may vary tremendously across cultures, and they may also range from mild disapprovals to death. Under endogamous marriages, one is therefore forced to marry a specific person (Monger, 2013) . At the same time, endogamous marriages are mostly defined through kinship as opposed to religion, class, or ethnicity. Further, endogamous are commonly found in societies that reckon descent through a mother (matrilineality) or father (patrilineality) alone. However, it is critically important to note that such lineages may then be categorized under moieties or clans, mostly being the endogamy’s locus where marrying a person from an individual’s moiety or clan is typically termed as a kind of incest. In this respect, there are merits as well as challenges that those who participate in exogamy marriage encounter (Monger, 2013) . Some of the main advantages of exogamy marriages are that individuals are able to increase the number of relatives and that such marriages enhance national solidarity, unity, and avoidance of ethnocentrisms. Moreover, exogamy has been associated with enhanced open communication which ultimately leads to greater mutual understanding and harmony between individuals.
However, one of the key challenges that face exogamy marriages is that some members of a family complain that wealth is usually distributed to outside families (Monger, 2013) . At the same time, members of exogamy marriages may experience cultural differences which may destabilize the family. Further women sometimes feel unhappy since the members of their new family may not accept them due to lack of prior understanding of each other. On the other hand, in the cultures that practice endogamy, marriages are required to take place between particular social classes, groups, as well as ethnicities (Monger, 2013) . In this case, the boundary for endogamy is dependent upon the acceptance of specific groups in the society or community.
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Although it is true that many individuals prefer marrying members who belong to their social group, some of such groups may decide to very strictly practice endogamy as part and parcel of their traditions, values, or religious beliefs (Monger, 2013) . Apparently, some of the main challenges of endogamy marriages lack individual acceptance since individuals are forced to marry each other. In addition, polygamy, defilements, as well as other evil practices such as bride price are common in endogamy marriages since there is less freedom of choosing a partner.
In reference to the challenges faced by both exogamy and endogamy couples, I would need different counseling skills such as problem-solving skills. Counseling marriage partners in complicated and difficult circumstances call for the application of the most suitable interventions in solving their problems. For example, I will need first to understand their background and get their opinion and feelings on the current situation before proposing solutions. On the other hand, communication skills are pivotal in ensuring that I listen to their cases and provide the most suitable intervention. Communication skills help one to understand the problem in detail with an objective of diagnosing the issues at hand. Finally, interpersonal skills will be instrumental in creating a healthy relationship with the couples, thus providing the necessary environment for them to open up.
References
Monger, G. (2013). Marriage customs of the world: An encyclopedia of dating customs and
wedding traditions . Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
