Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
University of Northern Iowa--Students; University of Northern Iowa; Married students--Iowa--Cedar Falls; Marriage; Married students; Self-perception; Students; Iowa--Cedar Falls;
Abstract
In light of the widespread dissatisfaction with marital relationships currently being expressed by couples in the United States, a research study concerning marital adjustment and self-concept was undertaken. Self-concept was chosen to be examined in relation to marital adjustment because of its generally agreed upon importance in interpersonal behavior. A positive relationship between self-concept and marital adjustment would provide a conceptual framework from which to view marital adjustment and would suggest therapeutic approaches for dealing with the problem. The research problem, then, was to examine the relationship between marital adjustment and self-concept.
A review of the literature showed marital adjustment to be related to several constructs including academic achievement, emotional maturity and communication. Marital adjustment was seen as a process, mediated by individual characteristics, such as self-acceptance and perceptions of the relationship. Self-concept was considered to be a primary determinant of interpersonal behaviors and was shown to affect both the giving and receiving of communication.
Data for the study was gathered by administering a marital adjustment inventory and a self-concept scale to a sample (n = 90) of married college students. Statistical analysis of the data included correlations between test scores, an analysis of variance involving the test scores and the variables of sex, age and length of marriage, t-tests comparing mean differences of the scores of individuals in extreme groups, descriptive statistics and demographic data.
Results of the data indicated a young, highly employed sample with very few children, a mean age of 22. 6 years, and a mean length of marriage of 25 months. All correlations between test scores were significant. The analysis of variance indicated an interaction effect between length of marriage and scores on the instruments and between age and scores on the instruments. In general, individuals in younger age groups and in groups of shorter marriages had higher scores on the instruments. The t-tests indicated that the individuals who had high or low marital adjustment scores also had high or low self-concept scores.
Previous research concerning marital adjustment and self-concept and the results of this study suggest a synthesis in terms of self-concept. The interpersonal skills and behaviors which are prerequisites for the continual process of effective marital adjustment, and for other interactional endeavors as well, are primarily affected by, and are very likely a function of, self-concept.
Implications of the research here were that marriage counselors should, in many instances, adopt an individual perspective, and that marriage counselors should consider the effects and dynamics of self-concept in their various treatment strategies.
Year of Submission
1976
Degree Name
Specialist in Education
Department
Department of Educational Leadership and Postsecondary Education
Department
Department of School Administration and Personnel Services
First Advisor
Robert L. Frank
Date Original
1976
Object Description
1 PDF file (75 pages)
Copyright
©1976 James Russell Moneypenny
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Moneypenny, James Russell, "Marital Adjustment and Self-Concept in Married College Students" (1976). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1560.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1560
Comments
If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.