FRIENDSHIP ADJUSTMENT SCALE: ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR MARITAL ADJUSTMENT PATTERNS
Abstract
The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire that would measure a spouse's adjustment with friendships. Theoretical propositions are offered which suggest that marital adjustment is a composite function of the internal adjustment spouses experience with each other, plus the adjustment they experience in friendships, as one of the many alternative relationships to a marriage. It was predicted, that if these two concepts could be operationally measured, that clinic and non-clinic couples could be differentiated according to a proposed paradigm of marital adjustment patterns. The development of a valid and reliable Friendship Adjustment Scale was, therefore, a control task in operationalizing the paradigm of marital patterns. By using self-administered questionnaire data from 202 married individuals a scale reliability of .87 was established. Face validity was accomplished by the use of professional judges. Construct validity was determined by a factor analysis program based upon hypothesized components of friendship adjustment. Significant findings suggested that, as hypothesized, clinic couples indicate a pattern of having low internal dyadic adjustment in combination with either high or low friendship adjustment. While, non-clinic couples indicated high internal dyadic adjustment with either high or low adjustment in friendships. The findings support the contention that clinicians and researchers can gain important new information about marital types and marital adjustment if we further investigate the social networks that provide the social context of marriage.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Social psychology
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