Perception Of Communication In Marriage: The Role of Emotional Intelligence And Gender Schema

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to examine the correlates and determinants of perception of marital communication. The role of emotional intelligence and gender schema were examined. The data were collected from 71 married couples, aged 23-71 years (Mage = 41.60, SD = 12.76). Perception of communication in marriage was assessed with the Marital Communication Questionnaire by Kaźmierczak and Plopa (2008). Gender schema was measured with the Sex-Role Inventory by Kuczyńska (2012). Ability emotional intelligence was assessed with two performance tests, the Emotional Intelligence Scale – Faces and the Emotion Understanding Test. Trait emotional intelligence was measured with the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale. The results indicated that perception of communication in marriage is, above all, associated with trait emotional intelligence and gender schema. There were also gender differences in the perception of the spouse’s communication in marriage associated with their psychological characteristics. The husbands’ psychological characteristics affected the wives’ perception of the husbands’ communication, whereas the husbands’ perception of the wives’ communication was not associated with the wives’ psychological characteristics.