Marital Partners' Traits, Psychological Processes in Marriage, and Marriage Characteristics as Predictors of Love in Marriage

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the predictors of marital love. Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love (1986) is used as a starting point. Accordingly, a theoretical model that consists of four groups of level 1 predictor variables and a group of level 2 variables is used. The dependent variables in the model include the three dimensions of love: Passion, Intimacy, and Commitment. The research was conducted among 884 married couples from different parts of Croatia. The results show that married women are less passionate and that marriage partners' passion in marriage is greater at the beginning of the marriage without children and when there is a mutual physical attraction between partners. Married women report less intimacy while greater marital intimacy was present in marriages where there is greater partner support. Unlike passion, the experience of intimacy does not vary at different marital stages. Women show less commitment and partners' commitment to marriage is greater when there is greater emotional stability of both partners, greater mutual physical attraction, and partner support. At the end of the paper, limitations on making firmer conclusions based only on the present study are emphasized.