The Relation Between Spousal Affective Self‐Disclosure And Marital Adjustment

This paper examines the relations between married partners' levels of affective self‐disclosure and marital adjustment. Based upon responses to questionnaires by 324 married students, marital adjustment was found to be positively related to both spouse's reported self‐disclo sure of feelings and to self's reported reception of affective disclosure. In addition, the relationship between the differences in partners' levels of disclosure and marital adjustment was also examined. Findings indicated that one's perception of differences between self and other in the disclosure of love was inversely related to one's marital adjustment. Situations in which these general findings vary by the type of feeling disclosed–love, happiness, anger, and sadness–are also noted. 1983 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences