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For Better or for Worse: Real-Ideal Discrepancies and the Marital Well-Being of Newlyweds

University of Notre Dame, Ruvolo.1{at}ND.EDU

Joseph Veroff

University of Michigan

This study examined the relationship between an individual's real-ideal discrepancy about the spouse and the marital well-being of both spouses. In the first year of the study, individuals from 153 African-American couples and 160 White couples rated their partners and their ideals for their partners on 12 characteristics. Discrepancies between ratings of the partner and ideals for the partner were negatively correlated with the Year 1 marital well-being of each spouse. Also, while controlling for the Year 1 marital well-being of both partners, wives' real-ideal discrepancies about their husbands were negatively related to the Year 2 marital well-being of both partners, but husbands' discrepancies did not predict the Year 2 marital well-being of either partner. When the separate effects of discrepancies, ratings of the partner, and ideals were examined, women's discrepancies predicted the Year 2 marital well-being of both partners, and men's ratings of their wives predicted their own Year 2 marital well-being.

Key Words: ideals • marital well-being • real-ideal discrepancies

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