An alternative to the decision-making approach to the study of marital power was developed in order to observe empirically the link between structural and processual dimensions of power in marriage. Power was conceptualized as the ability to control the process by which a relationship is defined. Its structural dimension was measured primarily through a self-administered survey instrument completed by both husband and wife in 90 socioeconomically diverse couples. The processual dimension was explored through interviews with 15 of those couples, each conducted by a marriage and family therapist. / Based on a social exchange perspective, the survey instrument allowed computation of the relative dependence of husband and wife for provision of six types of resources: expressions of love and affection, respect for abilities and opinions, money or things it can buy, helpfulness, sexual pleasure, and companionship. Couples were then divided into three groups: wife more dependent, husband more dependent, and husband and wife equally dependent, according to the survey measure. Each of five therapists, unaware of the subgroup selection criterion, was then randomly assigned one couple in each relative dependence category to interview. The interview, defined as non-therapeutic in intent, was structured around an exploration of the history of the relationship. Therapists were charged with describing relative husband-wife control on two levels: in the development of the relationship definition over its history and in the interaction during the joint interview. The therapist's post-interview notes regarding these issues served as a data base for understanding the process of power. / Quantitative results support the theoretical argument that dependence is a meaningful indicator of the structure of power in marriage. The qualitative analysis reveals the processes by which those structures have been established and maintained, and in some cases challenged and changed over the history of the relationship. Thus, the argument is made that the conceptual and methodological approach of this study allows empirical understanding of the relationship between structural and processual dimensions of marital power to an extent that had not previously been achieved. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: A, page: 0322. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75723 |
| Contributors | HARVEY, LYNN KENNETH., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 186 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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