This study investigated the relationship between stages of the family life cycle during the early years of marriage and marital dissatisfaction. From this basic goal the following three hypotheses were derived and tested:I. Marital dissatisfaction for both husband and wife is less in the first stage than in the third stage of the family life cycle.II. For both husband and wife the ideal spouse concept is the same in stage one as in stage three of the family life cycle.III. For both husband and wife socially undesirable perceived spouse concepts are greater while socially desirable perceived spouse concepts are less in the third stage than in the first stage of the family life cycle.A questionnaire consisting of background information, the Locke-Wallace Short Marital Adjustment Scale, and the Interpersonal Check List was given to thirty couples in the first stage (newly married) of the family life cycle and thirty couples in the third stage (oldest child of preschool age) of the family life cycle. Stree statistical methods were used to interpret the data collected: (1) chi-square, (2) t-test, and (3) Pearsonian correlation coefficient.