Abstract
The fundamental changes in psychological meaning that have been observed in recent changes concern all aspects of family development. The transformation of marital relations in modern families is expressed, first of all, in the preservation of the structural and content characteristics of the motivation of marriage, its functionalrole structure, and the guiding regulation of marital, marital and family relationships. Most often, such trends are observed in large cities, while in smaller cities they correspond to the traditions of the Russian family. The purpose of this study is the nature of differences in the manifestations of motives in marriages among spouses living in megacities and cities with a population of 250 to 500 thousand people. Research methods: survey, testing, systemic and structural approaches to description and a strict hierarchy of motives in this case. The results obtained reveal additional differences in the main problems among respondents living in metropolitan areas and small towns, as well as the lack of the necessary level of psychological and social support for fraternal and family lifestyle among young people living in metropolitan areas. It has been established that in the hierarchy of motives of young people living in megacities, motives of an individualistic and biological nature predominate, i.e. the functions of marriage for them are practically no different from the romantic period. Among young people from relatively small cities, the hierarchy of motives is dominated by motives of mutual love and fidelity, as well as motives of parental and mutual psychological support, which indicates a more conscious idea of marriage and family, as well as higher psychological and social support for married and family life.