Abstract
The trend toward assortative mating is the rule in Western societies for a large series of factors. The case for personality variables is however not clear, since weak and even negative relationships have been found in correlation analyses between spouses. The present study compared the profiles of members from 145 stable couples living together for more than 5 years, and representative of the Belgian population. Personality measurements were performed using Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), in order to: 1) determine whether the subject’s TCI predicts the partner’s profile; 2) determine whether modeling has an important influence between the partners; 3) describe the behavior of personalities with extreme traits; 4) measure whether personalities with extreme traits would favor complementarity over homogamy. In all dimensions but Harm Avoidance and its sub-dimensions, positive associations were found between the partners, indicating a trend toward assortative mating. These differences were significant for Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence, Persistence and Cooperativeness. Trends were observed in Self-Directedness and Self-Transcendence. Subjects with extreme personality traits were not shown to favor complementarity over assortative mating. Homogamy was thus confirmed here for a series of personality traits, independently of the TCI Temperament or Character classification and on the subjects position in the distribution.
Highlights
As long as most of human reproduction remains sexual, the choice of the partner will be an essential issue, for it will determine the genetic apparatus of the offspring and the species
One robust constant in studies on mating is that, for almost every studied trait, the partners resemble each other more than they would if couples were randomly assembled or if compensation for significant deviations from the mean was a priority
No statistically significant difference was found for any dimension or sub-dimension between the sample eventually selected and the sample at step 3
Summary
As long as most of human reproduction remains sexual, the choice of the partner will be an essential issue, for it will determine the genetic apparatus of the offspring and the species. One robust constant in studies on mating is that, for almost every studied trait, the partners resemble each other (assortative mating) more than they would if couples were randomly assembled or if compensation for significant deviations from the mean (complementarity) was a priority. Similarity between partners on psychological states or traits has been linked to marital satisfaction (Antill, 1983; Kurdek, 1993; Luteijn, 1994; Murstein & Williams, 1985; Richard et al, 1990; Russel & Wells, 1991) and personal subjective well-being
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