Exploring attribution patterns between spouses: A comparison of United States and mainland Chinese couples
Abstract
This dissertation explores the relationship between marital attributions and problem-solving communication. Past research has shown that spouses in distressed relationships attribute the causes of their partners' behavior in ways that lead them to perceive those causes as internal character flaws of their partners. Those in stable relationships, on the other hand, explain the causes of their difficulties in more benign ways, such as attributing them to outside circumstances (Bradbury & Fincham, 1992; Bradbury & Fincham, 1990; Fincham & Bradbury, 1992; Fincham & Bradbury, 1991). Another important line of research has explored spouses' internal thoughts about their partners' statements during on-going problem solving discussions. This research has also found that couples' internal cognitive/emotional processes are related to their marital satisfaction (Markman, 1984; Markman, 1981; Markman, 1979; Markman & Poltrock 1982). In this dissertation I combine these two bodies of literature by having couples specify their attributions about the causes for each others' statements during ongoing problem-solving conversations. I compare U.S. and Mainland Chinese couples' responses. Thirty-three Chinese couples from The People's Republic of China and 39 U.S. couples participated. The results, first, successfully replicate past research findings. Marital distress was related to spouses' paper and pencil attributions and to their attributions during problem-solving discussions. Second, Chinese spouses rated the causes of problems less internally, globally and stably than U.S. spouses. Third, women tended to ascribe the causes of problems to their spouses more often and to blame them for problems more generally. However, wives' attribution scores did not predict marital distress more significantly than husbands' attributions did. Fourth, U.S. husbands' marital attributions were related to their wives' level of marital distress and current symptoms of depression. U.S. wives' attributions were not related to husbands' distress. These findings are discussed, and future directions for research theory and practice are suggested.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
MacDermid, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Social psychology|Communication
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