Attachment and Marital Satisfaction

Question: Some people may be afraid to commit to an enduring relationship. It seems they do not want the deep emotional ties that may come with long-term commitment. Select two couples you know who have been together for at least 4 years. Compare their views of their partners. Do they see each other through "rose-colored glasses"? Do they see each other as supportive and positive in their interactions with each other? How do you think the differences between these couples relate to their potential for staying together? Answer: The objective of the assignment is to compare and contrast the relationship between two couples that were chosen from locality. Couple X has been married for 5 years, both partners are aged below 30 years old, having no kids, and both of them are working. Couple Y has been married since 17 years age; the male is above 50 and female 45 years old. They have three kids and have lower income status. Couple X The level of conflict is higher, and ease of interact realized to be tough (Harold, 2012). According to Sternbergs triangular theory, passionate love was the driving force for their marriage (Madey, Rodgers, 2009). Both the partners are working, and they usually get less time of interaction due to different working schedule. In addition, intimate love is less, as couple use to have sex less than 3 times a week. Attachment is found to Anxious-preoccupied, as lady partner says, he does not care my emotions. The marital satisfaction seems to be at a lower level and is likely to be deteriorating in future. The reason could be attributed to lower state of income and lesser time to interact and diminishing positive perception in their relationship (Cobb, Davila, Bradbury, 2001). Couple Y The level of conflict is moderate, but the ease of interaction is higher (Harold, 2012). The concept of passionate love was there between the couple as they had their first kid after one year of marriage. Moreover, companionate love and intimate love also exists between the couple (Madey, Rodgers, 2009). Feeling of positive perception is higher, as both partners use to share their moments, problems and concern for each other. Thus, emotional quotient and understanding level is also higher. Attachment is secure between the couples and the concern of both focus more presently on kids. Intimacy and sexual activity were not frequent presently, but still the concern for each other is higher among the couple (Cobb, Davila, Bradbury, 2001). The marital satisfaction is higher in this couple, which is attributed to better understanding and parental investment on kids. Thus, pair Y seems to be more satisfied and happier compared to couple X, which is attributed to many traits including spending time together and understanding each other. The shared concern, decision-making and security in a relationship is also higher in couple Y because of the presence of kids. References: Cobb, R. J., Davila, J., Bradbury, T. N. (2001). Attachment security and marital satisfaction: The role of positive perceptions and social support. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(9), 1131-1143. Harold, G. T., Elam, K. K., Lewis, G., Rice, F., Thapar, A. (2012). Interparental conflict, parent psychopathology, hostile parenting, and child antisocial behavior: Examining the role of maternal versus paternal influences using a novel genetically sensitive research design. Development and Psychopathology, 24(04), 1283-1295. Madey, S. F., Rodgers, L. (2009). The effect of attachment and Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love on relationship satisfaction. Individual Differences Research.