The Relationship Among and Between Marital Satisfaction,Meaning in Life,and Political Orientation

Abstract

Researchers examined the relationships, predictors, and group differences between marital satisfaction, meaning in life, and political orientation using three instruments. The full sample skewed toward high levels of marital satisfaction and presence of meaning in life but varied across the spectrum in their political affiliations. Research results showed that there were positive correlations between marital satisfaction and presence of meaning or between the presence of meaning and political orientation, but not between marital satisfaction and political orientation. Of the 204 participants, 92 were matched to their spouses, allowing the authors to compare partner responses within those 46 couples. There were positive correlations between each partner's marital satisfaction scores or search-for-meaning scores, but not their presence-of-meaning scores. There were also strong correlations with similar political orientation scores, highlighting that views on conservative or liberal issues were aligned, which is consistent with earlier research. Although most couples in this study did align politically with their spouses, implications suggest that exploring these connections further within clinical practice may be helpful, especially when values or political orientations are in conflict. Additionally, participants’ presence of meaning had a strong negative correlation to their search for meaning, suggesting that couples’ counselors may assist in exploring existential issues, thus creating greater clarity in meaning and ultimately improving satisfaction. Helping a couple identify where their shared meaning converges or diverges can help direct potential therapeutic interventions for clinical practice. Research results, discussion, and implications for couples and family counselors are discussed.