COMMUNICATION 1

Marital Satisfaction and Communication

Adrian Rigor, Adreinne Mae Losare

University of the Philippines Visayas

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Marital satisfaction and communication are two things we should give attention to in
relation with understanding the dynamics of marriage and the family. Communication
plays an essential role in the deterioration of a relationship, for intimate bonds are
expected to remain strong as long as partners respond with sensitivity and understanding
to one another. (Reis & Patrick, 1996) Since the maintenance of relationships has
increasingly been based on husbands’ and wives’ appreciation of marriage,
understanding the idea of spousal marital satisfaction is extremely important. It was noted
by Noller and Fitzpatrick (1993) "[there is] weight of evidence that marital interaction
causes marital satisfaction."

Based on the social exchanged theory, multiple previous researches have argued that
high satisfaction in a marriage could be compared to low satisfaction by the proportion of
positive to negative behavior throughout the relationship. (Jacobson & Margolin, 1979)
The succeeding studies have consistently continued to cite that distraught couples exhibit
more signs of negative communication behaviors and less positive communication
behaviors in comparison to relatively satisfied couples (Bradbury & Karney, 2013). In our
everyday life, we possess this mindset that satisfied couples are happy and lively, which
can be seen as a result of positive communication, as compared to distressed couples,
who are often portrayed as cold and always fighting. This clear contrast has also been
highlighted in movies and soap operas. Furthermore, the behavioral theory has supported
these findings that a correlation exists between distressed married couples and poor
communication. (Koerner & Jacobson, 1994)

Uncertainty of the correlation between marriage satisfaction and communication

While numerous researchers and family therapists claim that communication is one of the
most important elements in marital satisfaction, communication is not the only aspect to
be considered in terms of marital satisfaction. Nevertheless, a vital contributing factor.
(Noller & Fitzpatrick, 1993) Despite the magnitude of research that explores marital
satisfaction and communication, there isn’t much research regarding the strength of the
two correlates in order to clarify whether communication is cause or effect of marital
satisfaction. The evidence presented that negative communication correlates with marital
satisfaction is mixed. As mentioned above, high levels of negative communication predict
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steeper declines in marital satisfaction over time and couples that exhibit signs of
negativity in the first 2 years of marriage report to be unhappy in their marriages after
more than a decade compared to couples who are more positive early on (Huston, et al
2001) However, several studies show inconsistency with the norm. One study by Noller
and Feeney (1994) on analyzing the behavior of spouses presented that relationship
satisfaction might be a stronger predictor of communication than communication is of later
satisfaction. Another study by Heavey, Layne, & Christensen (1993) noted that the
negative communication shown by husbands has been said to predict a positive change
in wives’ satisfaction. It is also said to be related to their personal satisfaction.

Probably a big part of why there are varying inconsistencies in researches that explores
marital satisfaction and communication is because of the disparities in culture. While
marriage and family therapists around the world aim to increase positive interactions while
altogether decreasing negative interactions between a couple whose marriage remains
on the rocks, what is defined as “good” and “positive” continue to differ. (Kerkstra, 1985)
Independent, working moms would be seen as “good” in Western countries where liberal
worldviews are predominant, and would result to less conflict with her partner. However,
in some societies, the notion that a woman’s place is in the household- taking care of the
children, doing house work- continues to be the principal thought. Differences in
worldviews and cultures may result to the inconsistencies in researches.

Gender differences in communication

A study conducted by Mulac, Bradac, & Gibbons (2001) explored the idea that men and
women may possibly differ from one another in the degree to which they communicate.
This has been labelled as different cultures perspectives. It is widely known that women
are more emotionally sensitive than men, thus, they carry the burden of being more
expressive and are expected to use communication as a tool to achieve more positive
outcomes in the relationship. Furthermore, they are also called “relationship architects” in
a sense that through their greater sensitivity towards their partners allows them to take
control of the relationship more.

Women are also said to complain more about their partners to their peers when the other
has been emotionally detached or withdrawn. (Gottman & Krokoff, 1989)
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Bradbury, T.N & Karney B.R. (2013) Intimate relationships. New York. Norton

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Heavey, C., Layne, C., & Christensen, A. (1993). Gender and conflict structure in marital
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