Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction Research Proposal

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction - Research Proposal ExampleThese results reveal that majority of people view marriage as bondage that counteract their liberty or put extra responsibilities on them. Although marriage is meant to sh ar responsibilities, ideas, happiness and grieves, and rear offspring, people view marriage quite the other way. This anti-marriage phenomenon seems to ask erupted as a lack of understanding, a lack that demonstrates absence of similarity essential to sustain marriage relationship.While identification of the factors influencing marital satisfaction is of suppositional interest to social psychologists and potential practical value to clinical psychologists working with married couples, research in this area provided only minimal information well-nigh the specific characteristics of stable and/or happy marital relationships and has provided no coherent surmisal of marital satisfaction.Social psychological theories of love and marriage are, in gen eral, ground on the principle of similarity, i.e., that we tend to associate with others who reward us and not associate with those who dont (Walster and Walster, 1978).The theory of Complementarity proposed by draw (1952) was based on Murrays theory of needs. The theory postulated that within a field of eligible (which necessitates a certain level of similarity) an individual will seek out the person who can offer utmost need-gratification. Specifically, Winch suggests that the need patterns of A will complementary color, rather than similar to the need patterns of B. By complementary he means that the needs of A will be different in kind from those in B (Type I Complementarity) or they will be different in intensity (Type II Complementarity) from the needs that are met for B. in one of the first studies, (Winch, Ktsanes & Ktsanes, 1954) findings suggested that for a sample of married couples, individuals tend to select mates whose needs are complementary rather that similar to their own. Subsequently, Winch (1954) attempted to explore additional evidence of complementary needs while also taking into account the contradictory viewpoint of similarity of needs. By examining the correlations in the midst of husbands and wives, results showed husband-wife correlations were lower on average that the correlations of randomly paired dyads. Since these findings failed to support the idea of similarity, Winch argued that they supported Complementarity theory.There have been several studies that have tried to repeat Winchs findings, but most research has failed to do so. For example, Bowerman & Day (1956) attempted to replicate Winchs findings of need Complementarity of married couples. Sixty college couples who were engaged or going steadily fill up out the Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results suggest a pattern of similarity rather than complementary. Another study also attempted to address Winchs theory of complementary needs by examining data from standa rdized psychological tests, to determine whether married couples are characterized by Complementarity of needs, as well as to determine whether there is a positive relationship between the degree of Complementarity and marital happiness (Blazer, 1963). Fifty married couples who were emotionally well-adjusted (i.e. neither partner had history of mental illness) terminate the Wallace Marital Happiness Scale and Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results do not support the complementary nee