H. M. van der Ploeg, R. van Dijck en R. V. Groenewold: Personality and Marital Happiness
Some methodological problems in defining and measuring 'marital happiness' are discussed, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using questionnaires versus behavioral observations. In the marital relationship both husband and wife have instrumental and affective roles. The degree of marital satisfaction will be related to both these types of roles and their distribution between the partners. Marital satisfaction is not a stable phenomenon within the mariage, and it seems to vary during the family life cycle according to a U-shaped curve. The process of choosing a partner according to the theory of 'assortative mating' and 'complementary mating' is described.
Next the research on the relation between personality and marital happiness is summarized. The main consistent finding is a negative correlation between marital happiness and neuroticism. In couples in which one or both partners have a high degree of neurotic tendencies marital satisfaction is reported to be lower. In couples in which the husband or wife is a psychiatrie patient, the other partner shows a higher level of psychopathology than could be expected by chance.
Finally, some speculations are offered on the relation between the mental health of marital partners and the type of mariage they have in terms of a more traditional or modern relationship.