The present study investigated the effect of similarity of either terminal or instrumental value systems on attributed marital adjustment and the effects of various degrees of similarity of value systems on attributed marital adjustment. A total of 447 undergraduate students were administered a packet which contained the value profiles of two “bogus couples” and were asked to rate attributions regarding each couple's marital adjustment. The written attributions indicated degree of similarity was significant. Results are discussed in terms of Byrne's (1971) attraction paradigm and Rokeach's (1973) theory of values.
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