ROLE OF LISTENER TRAITS IN MARITAL INTERACTION

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This program of research is based on recent evidence that suggests that the tendency to listen attentively and elicit disclosure from others as meausred by the Opener Scale predicts intimacy of disclosure and interpersonal responsiveness. A conceptual analysis suggests that this personality characteristic may predict marital communication patterns, that in turn predict marital satisfaction. The specific goal of the proposed research is to test and elaborate these relationships. Using a multiple regression approach, the proposed research will focus on the relationship between patterns of husband and wife opener scale scores and (a) marital satisfaction, (b) expressed responsiveness as indicated on surreptitiously recorded videotapes, and (c) cognitive attentiveness (the ability to encode and remember what one's partner has said). The long term objectives of the current research include examining whether psychologists can use these personality measures to identify couples "at risk" for divorce who would benefit from early therapeutic intervention. Such interventions may aid in helping married couples work through their problems and conflicts together and reduce the emotional stresses associated with such familial conflicts.