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Understanding relational expectations and perceptions of relational satisfaction in marital relationships.

The present study examined the role that relational expectations play in determining marital satisfaction and in discriminating between married couple types. The discrepancy between one's expectations for his or her spouse's relational behavior and one's perceptions of his or her spouse's actual behavior significantly predicted marital satisfaction. In addition, this expectation/perception discrepancy was revealed to be a stronger predictor of marital satisfaction than agreement between spouses on relational expectations. There were few differences in relational expectations when compared across couple type, however when compared across individual marital type significant or near significant differences were displayed for the relational dimensions of intimacy, receptivity, mutual respect and frustration. A global measure of marital satisfaction was developed and the usefulness of this instrument is discussed.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/184513
Date January 1988
CreatorsKelley, Douglas Lee.
ContributorsBurgoon, Judee, Bailey, William, Buller, David, Christensen, Oscar
PublisherThe University of Arizona.
Source SetsUniversity of Arizona
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic)
RightsCopyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

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