This investigation compared courtship patterns and early marital adjustment in a sample of 30 white middle class couples, slightly less than half of whom had lived together prior to marriage. Intensive interviews were conducted individually and conjointly with all couples at specified intervals prior to and following marriage. Interviews were content-coded and analyzed with respect to the identification and description of emergent styles of early adjustment for "traditional" and "nontraditionals." Findings and implications relative to the degree of role transition and conflict experienced by the groups was discussed. (Author)