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Marital Adjustment over 25 Years

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Synonyms

Development theory; Emotional intimacy over 25 years; Interpersonal satisfaction in marriage; Intimacy over 25 years; Marital happiness; Marital quality over 25 years; Marital satisfaction over 25 years

Definition

Emotional intimacy has multiple dimensions: a task of young adulthood involving commitment to another (Erikson, 1968), a reciprocal process of self-disclosure and responsiveness to a partner (Reis & Shaver, 1988). Marital adjustment refers to the quality of marital relationships [Manzi] and includes those characteristics that promote a harmonious and well-functioning marriage such as agreement, satisfactory conflict resolution, and effective communication (Locke & Wallace, 1959; Sabatelli, 1988). Satisfaction is that aspect of adjustment that encompasses evaluations and feelings toward the spouse and marriage (Sabatelli, 1988).

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Background

The transition from adolescence to young adulthood involves a number of life changes, including the transition to...

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References

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Correspondence to Judith L. Fischer .

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Fischer, J.L., Boden, J.S., Niehuis, S. (2014). Marital Adjustment over 25 Years. 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_4072

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_4072

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0752-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0753-5

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