Pairing of motivational style and evolution of marital satisfaction

The aim of the present study was to examine whether couples tend to adopt self-determined motivational styles and to observe the relationship between couples' motivation style pairings and marital satisfaction. The sample consisted of 226 married or cohabiting couples participating on a voluntary basis. Eighty-seven couples completed the questionnaires a second time 36 months later. The instruments used were the Couple Motivation Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results showed that there is a significant relationship between women and men's motivations to live together. The most frequent couples' pattern of pairing was two people with self-determined motivational styles. Furthermore, this couple pattern was related to higher marital satisfaction.