Marital quality and interspousal self-concept congruency

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Raymond Alphonze Seutter (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Dennis K. Orthner

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between marital quality and interspousal self-concept congruency. This study also sought to investigate the influence of changing sex-role attitudes on marriage. The consensus among researchers appears to be that sex-role attitudes are changing, and that this is having significant impact on marriages. This study sought to look at the relationship between a couple's sex-role attitudes toward the marriage and the amount of interspousal self-concept congruence that existed. Testable hypotheses were developed within the framework of symbolic interaction theory. Within this perspective the processes of self-conception and self-evaluation are key elements in shaping the relationship between individual behavior and one's social environment. This framework suggests that individuals act by using symbols as well as by physical stimuli that are learned through reflective interaction with significant others. Thus, couples who are aware of the symbols (both verbal and nonverbal) that are exchanged, will be more aware of each other, and therefore, more able to accurately perceive each other's needs. This, in turn, should have a positive impact on the self-concept that each partner develops as well as the resulting quality of that marriage.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1981
Subjects
Marriage
Husband and wife
Sex role
Married people

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