Healthy Marriages Compendium

Attitudes to Marriage/Relationships Measures

Measures:
• ENRICH Idealistic Distortion Scale (Olson, Fournier, & Druckman, 1985)
• General Relationship Attitudes Scale (Hazan & Shaver, 1987)
• Role Perception Scale (RPS; Richardson & Alpert, 1980)

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Domain: Attitudes to Relationships/Marriage

Measure: ENRICH: Enriching and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication,
and Happiness- Idealistic Distortion Scale (Olson, Fournier, & Druckman,
1985)

1 = Strongly agree
2 = Moderately agree
3 = Neither agree nor disagree
4 = Moderately disagree
5 = Strongly disagree

Idealistic Distortion
21. We are as well adjusted as any two persons in this world can be.
34. My partner and I understand each other completely.
39. If my partner has any faults, I am not aware of them.
42. My partner completely understands and sympathizes with my every mood.
49. Every new thing I have learned about my partner has pleased me.
54. There are times when I do not feel a great deal of love and affection for my
partner.
63. I don’t think any couple could live together with greater harmony than my
partner and I.
64. My relationship is not a perfect success.
68. I don’t think anyone could possibly be happier than my partner and I when
we are with one another.
70. I have some needs that are not being met by my relationship.
73. There are times when my partner does things that make me unhappy.
77. If every person in the world of the opposite sex had been available and
willing to marry me, I could not have made a better choice.
87. My relationship could be happier than it is.
104. I have never regretted my relationship with my partner, not even for a
moment.

Source: Tzeng, O. C. S. (1993). Measurement of love and intimate relations. Westport,

CT.: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.

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Domain: Attitudes to Relationships/Marriage

Measure: General Relationship Attitudes Scale (GRAS; Hazan & Shaver, 1987)

1 2 3 4 5
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

(Note: In addition to the 5-point agree/disagree continuum, an alternative response format can
involve the subject’s endorsement of only one of the three measurement items.)

1. Secure: I find it relatively easy to get close to others and am comfortable

depending on them and having them depend on me. I don’t often worry about
being abandoned or about someone getting too close to me.

2. Avoidant: I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it difficult

to trust them completely, difficult to allow myself to depend on them. I am
nervous when anyone gets too close, and often, love partners want me to be
more intimate than I feel comfortable being.

3. Anxious/Ambivalent: I find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would

like. I am often worried that my partner doesn’t really love me or won’t want to
stay with me. I want to merge completely with another person, and this desire
sometimes scares people away.

Source: Tzeng, O. C. S. (1993). Measurement of love and intimate relations. Westport,

CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.

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Domain: Attitudes to Relationships/Marriage

Measure: Role Perception Scale (RPS; Richardson & Alpert, 1980)

[The instrument is intended to be used in conjunction with a projective technique where

the respondent first writes brief stories in response to the roles of work, marriage,
parenting, the combination of work and marriage roles, and the combination of the work
and parenting roles. Respondents are given the first sentence and instructed to write a
brief story (in 5 minutes or less) which addresses four concerns: what led up to the event
in the story, a description of what is happening at the moment, a description of what the
character is thinking and feeling at the moment, and the outcome of the story. (Corcoran
& Fischer, 2000)]

Please indicate whether each statement is True or False for the main character in your
story. Record your answer in the space to the left of each statement by writing “T” if it is
true of the main character of “F” if the statement is false for the main character.

1. She (he) has very little to say about how her (his) day is spent.
2. What she (he) does is different on different days.
3. Her (his) activities from day to day are varied.
4. She (he) is not able to do unusual things.
5. She (he) is expected to follow set rules.
6. She (he) seldom tries out new ideas.
7. She (he) thinks up unusual activities for others to do.
8. She (he) thinks about different ideas every day.
9. She (he) can choose what she (he) will do each day.
10. She (he) is involved in the same kind of activities every day.
11. She (he) seldom feels bored.
12. She (he) probably wouldn’t be there if she (he) didn’t have to be.
13. She (he) is often curious.
14. She (he) puts a lot of energy into what she (he) does.
15. She (he) only does what she (he) has to do.
16. She (he) wants to do what she (he) is doing.
17. She (he) seldom daydreams.
18. She (he) is thinking about something else.
19. She (he) would rather be doing something other than what she (he) is doing.
20. She (he) doesn’t really care.
21. She (he) feels discourages.
22. She (he) enjoys her (his) life.
23. She (he) feels happy.
24. She (he) often feels like smiling.
25. She (he) is often thinking “it’s unfair”.
26. She (he) thinks it’s hopeless.
27. Something is troubling her (him).
28. She (he) often thinks that her (his) life is good.
29. She (he) seldom has headaches.
30. She (he) often feels like arguing.
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31. She (he) tries hard to be best.

32. Winning is very important to her (him).
33. She (he) doesn’t’ mind losing.
34. She (he) seldom competes with others.
35. She (he) tries to do things better than other people.
36. She (he) doesn’t care about whether others get things done first.
37. She (he) usually tries to get things done before others.
38. She (he) compares what she (he) does with what others do.
39. She (he) doesn’t care if she (he) wins or loses.
40. She (he) doesn’t’ feel pressured to compete.

Note: Parentheses indicate changes for male form.

Source: Corcoran, K., & Fischer, J. (2000). Measures for Clinical Practice: A
Sourcebook (Vol. 2). New York, NY: The Free Press.

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