Disaffection in marriage: Its perceived process and attributions.

Abstract

To underst and fully marital breakdown, researchers must study the process of how love declines in marriage. This study attempts to determine if there is a pattern of sequential stages of marital disaffection. The question of what individuals specifically attribute their marital problems to is also analyzed. Two studies were conducted. First, 354 married respondents, r and omly selected from two Midwestern cities, were surveyed on their overall level of marital disaffection, the types of attributions given for marital problems, psychological well-being, and attitudes toward marital commitment. About one-fifth of the population experienced an above average or high level of disaffection. The disaffected individuals were more likely: (1) to use partner and interactive attributions in explaining marital problems, (2) to be females, (3) to experience low psychological well-being, and (4) to believe in a marital commitment based primarily on personal fulfillment rather than a belief in the institution of marriage. Disaffected women were more likely to use interactive attributions than disaffected men, who primarily used partner attributions. The second study involved in-depth interviews with forty-nine highly disaffected spouses in order to test a proposed theoretical model of the marital disaffection process. From the results of the interviews a three-phase model describing the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors during the process of marital disaffection was developed. Although the model reveals some overlap of the same feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, certain variables were particularly salient in one stage or another. Few gender differences in the experience of disaffection were found. The partner's behaviors, coping skills, and attributions were also investigated across the disaffection process. The findings of the study show that love in a marriage deteriorates when there are: (1) inadequate ways to resolve conflict, (2) a controlling partner, (3) lack of emotional intimacy, and (4) frequent partner attributions for marital problems. The results imply that marital therapy must have different goals at each phase of disaffection. The three-phase model of disaffection can be used to design effective interventions to meet each of these goals.