Date of Award

4-1986

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Robert L. Betz

Second Advisor

Dr. Alan Hovestadt

Third Advisor

Dr. Robert Brashear

Abstract

Researchers investigating the relationship between marital satisfaction and psychological type have discovered indications of a clinically useful relationship. By further clarifying the relationship between these two variables, guidelines may be established which can be helpful to counselors conducting marital therapy and marital enrichment programs. A secondary purpose of the investigation was to assess the relationship between selected demographic variables and marital satisfaction.

Married subjects were randomly selected from two groups--La Maz class participants and students from a local community college. Subjects responded to three self-report instruments--the Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and a Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ). Forty-three percent (N = 86) of the sample returned completed instruments.

Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated to determine the relationship between marital satisfaction and psychological type in five subject groups: La Maz participants, community college students, males, females, and total subjects. Five hypotheses were tested using Pearson product-moment correlations with p < .05 level of significance. Pearson product-moment correlations were also calculated to assess the relationship between marital satisfaction and selected demographic variables.

Significant correlations were found between marital satisfaction and psychological type in every subject group, although these correlations varied among groups. Out of a possible 220 correlations, 28 were significant which is greater than what would be expected by chance. Seventeen of the 28 significant correlations were related to the sensing/intuitive psychological type. Significant correlations, at the same level of probability, were found between marital satisfaction and demographic variables and these correlations also varied among groups.

It was concluded that a relationship between marital satisfaction and psychological type does exist, especially with the sensing/intuition dimension of the MBTI, but not in the same way for all groups of people. It was further concluded that demographic variables also influence marital satisfaction to some extent, but also not in the same way for all groups of people.

Results obtained did clarify, to a limited degree, the relationship between marital satisfaction, psychological type, and selected demographic variables. Recommendations were suggested for practitioners and for additional studies.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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