The document summarizes research on factors that influence marital success and satisfaction. It identifies three key concepts: effective communication, effective conflict resolution, and strong interpersonal commitment. Ten scholarly sources on these concepts are reviewed, finding that communication factors like self-disclosure and reciprocity impact satisfaction, as does forgiveness in conflict resolution. Commitment depends on personal, moral and structural reasons to stay married. Further research is needed to better understand how to apply these concepts to achieve marital satisfaction and reduce divorce.

1. Successful Marriage as a Function of Effective Communication, Effectual Conflict Resolution, and Interpersonal Commitment Rebecca Ellis Argosy University August 11, 2010

2. Abstract The prominence of divorce as a method of dissolving American marital relationships indicates the necessity of further research into the concepts that influence marital success. Based on prior research on marital success, three concepts were identified as influencing relationship success: Effective communication, effectual conflict resolution, and strong interpersonal commitment. Ten scholarly sources involving these concepts were located, reviewed, and compared and contrasted. The information gleaned indicates a need for further research into each of the three concepts in an effort to more intricately understand each concept and effectively utilize it in the marriage relationship in the pursuit of marital success.

3. Successful Marriage as a Function of Effective Communication, Effectual Conflict Resolution, and Interpersonal Commitment The frequency with which married couples dissolve their unions and utilize the option of divorce rises alarmingly each year. One way to reduce the social problem of divorce is by focusing on the factors that influence the success of a marital relationship. Researchers estimate that almost half of all marriages will end in divorce, even though many individuals view successful marriage as a worthwhile goal; therefore, the individual factors that lead to a successful marriage warrant investigation (Carroll & Doherty, 2003). Research indicates that there are at least three concepts that are vital to achieving marital satisfaction: effective communication, effectual conflict resolution, and a strong interpersonal commitment. Based on this replicated and verified information, it would appear to be advantageous to further research the role that these three factors play in the success of a marriage, along with the different aspects and features of each concept (Argosy University, 2010). To that extent, ten scholarly sources that deal with the subject of successful marriage, communication, conflict resoltion, and commitment were located. The sources are grouped according to concept and given a brief review below.

4. Communication In “Self-Disclosure and Marital Satisfaction”, Hendrick (1981) studied communication with a focus on self-disclosure in particular. This study “found a consistent positive relationship between self-disclosure and marital satisfaction” (Hendrick, 1981, p. 1150). The author also discovered that level of self-disclosure is a strong predictor of marital satisfaction and that attitude similarity is positively correlated with marital satisfaction. Hendrick also discussed the important issue of reciprocity of self-disclosure.

5. Communication Continuing the study of communication and taking the concept a step further, Rehman and Holtzworth-Munroe (2007) attempted to generalize to a diverse population previous research results that demonstrated an association between marital satisfaction and couple communication in “A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Relation of Marital Communication Behavior to Marital Satisfaction”. This was a cross-cultural study in which both positive and negative communication behaviors were researched. The authors discovered that marital communication does affect marital satisfaction in all cultures, but the connection appears to be strongest in Americans.

6. Conflict Resolution In “Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution in Marriage”, authors Fincham, Beach, and Davila (2004) studied “whether forgiveness in married couples is associated with better conflict resolution” (p. 72). This article discusses the implications of the erosion of good will between a couple and the importance of forgiveness in avoiding such erosion.

7. Conflict Resolution Building on the research described above and adding the aspect of a longitudinal study, Fincham, Beach, and Davila again collaborated in 2007 to author “Longitudinal Relations Between Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution in Marriage”. In this study, the authors stated that forgiveness is an essential component of conflict resolution. They also state, “conflict resolution is integral to a successful relationship”, and that resentment “may fuel couple conflict and impede successful conflict resolution. In contrast, forgiving the partner for the transgression is a potential means of providing closure with regard to a painful or disturbing relationship event and reducing the extent to which that event can intrude upon future interactions” (Fincham, Beach, & Davila, 2007, p. 542). This article points out the importance of conflict resolution to the survival of a marriage relationship, and the necessity of forgiveness as an integral component of conflict resolution as evidenced by a longitudinal study.

8. Conflict Resolution Lest we should begin to believe that infinite forgiveness is both essential and beneficial to a marriage relationship, McNulty (2008) presents an important consideration in “Forgiveness in Marriage: Putting the Benefits into Context”. This research article studied couple’s level of forgiveness over time and compared long-term benefits and costs of forgiveness. The author discovered an important distinction between frequency of engaging in negative behavior and frequency of forgiveness. McNulty determined that increased forgiveness by couples who infrequently engaged in negative behavior was beneficial to the relationship, while increased forgiveness by couples who frequently engaged in negative behavior was actually harmful to the relationship. In this second scenario, decreased forgiveness and decreased tolerance was beneficial. This is an important consideration regarding the assumption of the universal benefit of forgiveness in marriage.

9. Commitment In “The Conceptualization of Marital Commitment: An Integrative Analysis”, Adams and Jones (1997) conceptualize marital commitment. This article integrates previous literature in order to discern convergent themes regarding what relational commitment is and how it operates to stabilize intimate relationships. The authors distinguished between personal commitment, moral commitment, and structural commitment with explanations of each.

10. Commitment Byrd (2009) also studied marital commitment in “The Social Construction of Marital Commitment”. This author studied marital commitment in an effort to understand it, and researched how social positions influence attitudes toward commitment. Byrd also reviewed rational and practical views of marital commitment, including more modern views toward ease and availability of divorce and expectations of life-long commitment.

11. Commitment Supporting the above research and adding to it, Johnson, Caughlin, and Huston (1999) discuss personal, moral, and structural reasons to stay married, along with types of commitment and limitations to assessment measures in “The Tripartite Nature of Marital Commitment: Personal, Moral, and Structural Reasons to Stay Married”.

12. Commitment Adding a new dimension to the subject of marital commitment, Miller (1997) researched actual ways to foster commitment in “Inattentive and Contented: Relationship Commitment and Attention to Alternatives”. Miller researched the role that commitment plays in relationships and discovered that “satisfaction with, investment in, commitment to, [and] adjustment in relationships” requires inattentiveness to relationship alternatives; “even if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, happy gardeners will be less likely to notice” (1997, p. 758). This article highlights the importance of commitment and pinpoints the avoidance of dwelling on attractive alternatives to the relationship as an essential method of fostering commitment. The author also stresses the importance of working at a relationship.

13. Communication, Conflict Resolution, & Commitment Stanley, Markman, and Whitton (2002) investigated all three key relationship dynamics in “Communication, Conflict, and Commitment: Insights on the Foundations of Relationship Success From a National Survey”. The authors studied both positive and negative interactions between couples, along with the way that these behaviors correlated with marital satisfaction and the potential for divorce. This article concentrates on behaviors and communication during conflict, the most common issues that couples argue about, and gender correlations to divorce.

14. Conclusion In conclusion, given that effective communication, effectual conflict resolution, and a strong interpersonal commitment were indicated in this literature review as being the prevailing arguments for the vital concepts that lead to marital satisfaction (at least in American marriage relationships), it would appear warranted to further study these three concepts in order to understand and utilize them in an effort to achieve marital satisfaction in American marriages. The role of self-disclosure in effective communication, the role of forgiveness and effective behavior during conflict resolution, and the types of commitment and ways to foster commitment in a marriage relationship all warrant further examination and research.

15. Research Question Therefore, the obvious questions to ask are: What makes communication effective? What is effective conflict resolution and how do I utilize it? And, how do I improve my level of commitment? These three questions can be condensed into one research question: What does effective communication, effectual conflict resolution, and interpersonal commitment entail, and how can I utilize these concepts to achieve marital satisfaction?

16. Further Research This research question is important in the effort to address the social problem of the prominence of divorce. It is apparent that some type of intervention is warranted in order to aid couples that are experiencing low marital satisfaction and who are currently considering divorce. Teaching these concepts and the ways to utilize them to premarital counseling couples could also potentially reduce typical marital problems and increase the likelihood of achieving marital satisfaction. This research question is also relevant to the current work being done on achieving marital satisfaction as it delves deeper into concepts that have already been identified as being vital to a successful marriage. A more thorough understanding of each of the concepts, along with suggestions on how to implement positive strategies that utilize effective communication, effectual conflict resolution, and strong interpersonal commitment appear to be warranted in an effort to reduce the current divorce rate in America.

17. References Adams, J., & Jones, W.H. (1997). The conceptualization of marital commitment: An integrative analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(5), 1177-1196. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database Argosy University. (2010). PSY492: The process of research: Module One. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from http://myeclassonline.com Byrd, S.E. (2009). The social construction of marital commitment. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(2), 318-336. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s ProQuest database Carroll, J.S., & Doherty, W.J. (2003). Evaluating the effectiveness of premarital prevention programs: A meta-analytic review of outcome research. Family Relations, 52(2), 105-118. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s SocINDEX database Fincham, F. D., Beach, S. R. H., & Davila, J. (2004). Forgiveness and conflict resolution in marriage. Journal of Family Psychology, 18(1), 72-81. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database Fincham, F. D., Beach, S. R., & Davila, J. (2007). Longitudinal relations between forgiveness and conflict resolution in marriage. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(3), 542-545. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database Hendrick, S. S. (1981). Self-disclosure and marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40(6), 1150-1159. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database

18. References Johnson, M.P., Caughlin, J.P., & Huston, T.L. (1999). The tripartite nature of marital commitment: Personal, moral, and structural reasons to stay married. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61(1), 160-177. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s ProQuest database Miller, R. S. (1997). Inattentive and contented: Relationship commitment and attention to alternatives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(4), 758-766. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database McNulty, J. K. (2008). Forgiveness in marriage: Putting the benefits into context. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(1), 171-175. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database Rehman, U.S., & Holtzworth-Munroe, A. (2007). A cross-cultural examination of the relation of marital communication behavior to marital satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(4), 759-763. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s PsychARTICLES database Stanley, S.M., Markman, H.J., & Whitton, S.W. (2002). Communication, conflict, and commitment: Insights on the foundations of relationship success from a national survey. Family Process, 41(4), 659-675. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from Argosy University’s ProQuest database