Adult attachment and value orientation in marriage

Conflict appears to be a problem in married couple relationships because it decreases marital quality. This may be due to insecure adult attachment and individualistic orientation. Theoretical perspectives and research studies from family psychology literature were reviewed to discover how attachment and value orientation impact marital quality. A quantitative, correlational study was designed to test five hypotheses. The Attachment Style Inventory by Brennan and Shaver was utilized to measure adult attachment. The Relationship Self Inventory by Pearson, Reinhart, and Kamptner was used to measure value orientation, and the RDAS by Busby, Crane, Larsen, and Christensen was used to measure marital quality. A convenience sample of 219 married individuals completed the online survey. Several significant results were found after analyzing the data for this sample population. These results included a positive correlation between value orientation and adult attachment. Securely attached individuals were more likely to be relationally oriented than insecure individuals. Marital quality and attachment were found to be positively correlated. Individuals who were securely attached had higher marital quality than insecure individuals. Value orientation was predictive of marital quality. Relationally oriented individuals had higher marital quality than individualistic individuals. Value orientation and religious involvement were found to be correlated. Religiously active participants were more relationally oriented than individualistic participants. Value orientation and employment status were found to be correlated. Relationally oriented wives were more likely to not work full-time than individualistically oriented wives were. Value orientation was predictive of the number of children in the family. Relationally oriented participants had more children than individualistic individuals. Gender was not a significant variable regarding attachment or value orientation. Both theory and research substantiated the results of the study. The empirical results and the author's theory of value orientation provide important implications for future research, marriage education and couples counseling.