Need compatibility and marital adjustment in young married couples.

Abstract

This investigation of need compatibility in married couples introduced several theoretical and methodological innovations in an effort to overcome the problems inherent in previous studies. It was predicted that spouses would express greater adjustment on the Locke-Wallace Marital-Adjustment Scale to the extent that they were similar on 9 needs and complementary on 3 needs (Type 1) and 14 need combinations (Type 2). The needs of 66 young married couples were assessed by having them respond to a revised version of Jackson's Personality Research Form under four instructional sets: self, ideal self, spouse, and ideal spouse. The results revealed that although all couples tended to be similar in their ideal ratings, well-adjusted spouses were more similar than poorly adjusted spouses in their self and spouse ratings, as predicted, especially in the needs for affiliation, aggression, autonomy, and nutrurance. No evidence for either Type 1 or Type 2 complementarity emerged. The results were discussed in terms of their implications for Winch's theory of complementary needs and for past and future investigation of need compatibility.