Marital Strains and Marital Quality: The Role of High and Low Locus of Control

Abstract

We examine the cross-sectional and over-time effects of a domain-specific measure of locus of control (marital locus of control or MLC) on tvo measures of marital quality-positive marital quality and negative marital quality. We provide a preliminary test of the effect of MLC on changes in marital quality. The data are from a national probability sample of American husbands and wives. Our goal is to determine if and how locus of control may benefit the quali.ly of a marriage. Results suggest that higher levels of MLC are associated with reports of higher positive marital quality and reports of lower negative marital quality. Spouses with lower levels of MLC are also more likely to report the presence of marital strains that are linked to lower levels of marital quality. However, the negative effects of these marital strains are reduced, even at low levels of MLC. We argue that MLC is a personal resource that buffers the deleterious effects of marital problems and may locate individuals in strong or weak marriages. Key Words: identity theory, marital locus of control, marital quality, marital strains. The personality variable called locus of control emerged more than three decades ago (Rotter, 1966). Since that time, locus of control has helped us understand individual differences in many aspects of human experience, such as health (Ross & Wu, 1995), retirement (Gall, Evans, & Howard, 1997), and political participation (Deutchman, 1985). Other researchers have devised parallel concepts and have given them different names, such as mastery (Pearlin, Lieberman, Menaghan, & Mullan, 1981) and efficacy (Bandura, 1986). Locus of control has withstood the test of close scrutiny in wide applications by social and behavioral scientists. Locus of control now is regarded as one of the big five personality variables. What is surprising is that work on the role of locus of control in understanding marriage has been so limited. Although important work has been done by Doherty (1980, 1981, 1983), Miller, Lefcourt, and Ware (1983), Miller, Lefcourt, Holmes, Ware, and Saleh (1986), and others, locus of control is seldom called on to help our understanding of marital processes and quality. This article highlights some of the avenues through which locus of control affects reports of marital quality. Locus of control is the extent to which individuals perceive that their actions have little influence on the life conditions that they face and the extent to which they attribute their circumstances and rewards to fate, luck, chance, or powerful others, instead of believing that their circumstances and rewards are influenced by their own actions. Rotter (1966) argues that the way reinforcement (i.e., a reward, success, or gratification) is perceived by an individual is contingent on locus of control. Higher levels of locus of control are associated with beliefs of more control over reinforcing events. Drawing on social learning theory, Rotter contends that a reinforcement strengthens an expectancy that a particular behavior will be followed by that reinforcement in the future. That is, levels of locus of control structure the way an individual views the causal relationship between his or her own behavior and the success of the behavior. In reviewing the current research, Rotter acknowledges that individuals with high levels of locus of control are more likely to be alert to and gather information that bears directly on future behaviors. They are also more motivated and more likely to engage in behaviors to improve their situation and are more successful in controlling the outcomes of their behaviors. In addition, the belief that one has influence over events is an important part of the ability to transform stress into challenge (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Certainly, then, we expect reports of higher marital quality in marriages in which the spouses have higher levels of locus of control. This association may be the result of four related processes. …