More Alike Than Different

Abstract

There is an impressive amount of research indicating that spouses and mates tend be highly similar on a range of characteristics. Much of this literature has examined mate similarity in demographic characteristics, such as age and race, but there is also evidence indicating that mates tend to be similar in terms of their behaviors and personality traits. Criminological research, however, has been slow to examine how, and in what ways, mates might resemble each other for various types of antisocial outcomes. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by analyzing a national sample of mates drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort. The results of the latent factor analyses reveal a high degree of similarity for antisocial behavior and for substance abuse between mates. The implications that these findings have for criminological theory and research are discussed.