Commitment in the Early Years of Marriage

Abstract

Examined commitment in the early years of marriage using data drawn from a longitudinal study that explored a variety of hypotheses about why certain couples in the early years remain committed to each other and optimistic about the stability of the relationship, while others do not. Ss consisted of 373 newlywed couples and data were obtained by interviews over the course of 7 yrs. Analysis is focused on the commitment in the 7th year, as the previous years were analyzed in a previous monograph (J. Veroff et al, 1995). Little evidence was found in support of any of the analyzed hypotheses regarding the bases of commitment (i.e., marital happiness, social obligations, resources for considering other relationships, collaboration and independence, and compatibility). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)