Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Relationship Satisfaction

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

Synonyms

Dyadic satisfaction; Marital satisfaction; Satisfaction with living partner; Spousal satisfaction; Terminology concerning relationship satisfaction

Many terms have been used in the literature to refer to relationship satisfaction, i.e., relationship quality, relationship adjustment, spousal satisfaction, and relationship happiness. Many of these terms have been used interchangeably, and there is still little agreement in the literature on the use of a single term (see Kluwer, 2010). Furthermore, although the majority of studies that focus on marital satisfaction do indeed only incorporate couples that are married, many studies that use the term “marriage” and “marital” do not mean to ignore or exclude unmarried couples.

Definition

Relationship satisfaction is the subjective evaluation of one’s relationship. Relationship satisfaction is not a property of a relationship; it is a subjective experience and opinion. As such, members of the same couple may differ in how satisfied...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 9,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aron, A., Norman, C. C., Aron, E. N., & Lewandowski, G. (2002). Shared participation in self-expanding activities: Positive effects on experienced marital quality. In J. A. Feeney & P. Noller (Eds.), Understanding marriage: Developments in the study of couple interaction (pp. 177–194). Cambridge/England: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biblarz, T. J., & Savci, E. (2010). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 480–497.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury, T. N., Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. H. (2000). Research on the nature and determinants of marital satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 964–980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (2004). Understanding and altering the longitudinal course of marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 862–879.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campos, B., Keltner, D., Beck, J., Gonzaga, G. C., & John, O. P. (2007). Culture and teasing: The relational benefits of reduced desire for positive differentiation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 3–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Marriage in the new millennium: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 630–649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, E. D., & Linfeld, K. J. (1997). A new look at marital quality: Can spouses feel positive and negative about their marriage? Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 489–502.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haedey, B., & Wearing, A. (1989). Personality, life events, and subjective well-being: Towards a dynamic equilibrium model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 731–739.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helson, H. (1964). Adaptation-level theory: An experimental and systematic approach to behavior. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, T. L., Caughlin, J. P., Houts, R. M., Smith, S. E., & George, L. J. (2001). The connubial crucible: Newlywed years as predictors of marital delight, distress, and divorce. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 237–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. R., & Booth, A. (1998). Marital quality: A product of the dyadic environment or individual factors? Social Forces, 76, 883–904.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995). Assessing longitudinal change in marriage: An introduction to the analysis of growth curves. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 1091–1108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1997). Neuroticism, marital interaction and the trajectory of marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1075–1092.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keizer, R., & Schenk, N. (2012) Becoming a parent and relationship satisfaction. A longitudinal dyadic perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74, 759–773.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kluwer, E. S. (2010). From partnership to parenthood: A review of marital change across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2, 105–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (1997). The link between facets of neuroticism and dimensions of relationship commitment: Evidence from gay, lesbian, and heterosexual couples. Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 503–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (1998). The nature and predictors of the trajectory of change in marital quality for husbands and wives over the first 4 years of marriage for first-married husbands and wives. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 494–510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (2002). Predicting the timing of separation and marital quality: An eight-year prospective longitudinal study. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 163–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (2003). Differences between gay and lesbian cohabiting couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 411–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (2004). Are gay and lesbian cohabiting couples really different from heterosexual married couples? Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 880–900.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (2005). Gender and marital satisfaction early in marriage: A growth curve approach. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 68–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavner, J. A., & Bradbury, T. N. (2010). Patterns of change in marital satisfaction over the newlywed years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 1171–1187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, T., Parkhill, M. R., Wendorf, C. A., Imamoglu, O., Weisfeld, C. C., Weisfeld, G. E., & Shen, J. (2008). Cultural and evolutionary components of marital satisfaction: A multidimensional assessment of measurement invariance. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 39, 109–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, C. J. (2000). Family relationships of lesbian and gay men. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1052–1069.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proulx, C. M., Helms, H. M., & Buehler, C. (2007). Marital quality and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 576–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thibaut, J. W., & Kelley, H. H. (1959). The social psychology of groups. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W. K., & Foster, C. A. (2003). Parenthood and marital satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 574–583.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whisman, M. A. (2001). The association between depression and marital dissatisfaction. In S. R. H. Beach (Ed.), Marital and family processes in depression: A scientific foundation for clinical practice (pp. 3–24). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Postbus 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Renske Keizer

Authors
  1. Renske Keizer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renske Keizer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

  2. (residence), Brandon, MB, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Keizer, R. (2014). Relationship Satisfaction. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2455

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2455

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0752-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0753-5

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation