Measuring Perceived Dominance-Accommodation: Development of a Scale

Abstract

The assessment of family health includes both the stability and quality of relationships within the system. The probability of marital conflict is high when the needs of partners are either not met or the complementarity of psychosocial need fulfillment is rigid. A self-report instrument to measure dominance-accommodation was constructed by developing definitions of these behaviors and formulating 100 items to reflect the definitions. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 45 men and 74 women and appropriate statistical procedures were applied to determine preliminary estimates of reliability and validity. The Jackson Personality Research Form was used for study of construct validity. Two factors emerged; the item content in the first factor reflected the degree to which the need expressed by one person was different from the polar need expressed by the partner. The items in the second factor contained content indicative of equality and compromise in resolution of differences. Data were collected from a second convenience sample of 59 subjects using only the Dominance-Accommodation Scale. Again, a two-factor solution accounted for more of the variance than any other linear combination of items. The orientation of the first factor was communication, ability to be assertive, trust in the partner's consideration, and resolution of differences. The second factor reflected a more rigid dominant-accommodative pattern of interaction.