The Relationship Between Couple Type and the Social Environment: a New Approach to Measuring Marital Satisfaction
This research extends Fitzpatrick's (1988) work on couple types. The study assesses the "fit" between the values of different couple types as determined by Fitzpatrick's typology and the social environment that a couple finds itself a part of and the relationship of this "fit" to couples' marital satisfaction. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were selected as the sample type most representative of Fitzpatrick's Traditional couple type. These couples were compared to a second sample representative of the Non Mormon population. Social support networks are examined by category through self-report. These groups are assessed by the degree of influence they have on the participant, amount of time the participant spends with the group, and how similar the values are to the participant's. Result of the study indicate there is a relationship between couple type values with the social environment and couples' overall marital satisfaction.
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