Influence of Attachment Styles on Marital Satisfaction : Library research

Introduction A large number of researches indicated that marriage can organize personal and social life nearly in all societies (Coontz, 2005, Gottman,1994 & Nettle, 2005). In holly book of Muslims, Quran, marriage has been described as love, mercy and harmony (Khan,2006). Studies show that 90% of Americans get married at least once in their lifetime(Brubaker & Kimberly 1993). Some researchers have strived to uncover benefits of marriage. For instance,Coontz (2005) suggested that married people can benefit emotional well-being. Kim& McKenry (2002) asserted that emotional health is not determined by marriage only, but by quality marriage. Moreover, Gibson-Davids et al. (2005) mentioned that Spouse’s psychological well-being is influenced by level of marital satisfaction(MS). In other researches, Gonzaga et al. (2007) and Hogue (2009) uncovered benefits of a satisfactory marriage such as financial establishment, family structure, emotional support, physical health, and long life. Eventhough marriage may be a relationship delightful to many, but marital satisfaction (MS) is not easily acquired. Moreover,maintaining a happy marital relationship is difficult for many couples in all societies (Whiteman et al. 2007). AttaAlla (2009) labeled MS as an assessment of each party in marriage from her or his marital relationship, seeing that inside values for high-quality relationship.Surprisingly,Bradbury et al. (2000) found out that in first marriages, MS has declined since the mid-1970s, and many couples, approximately half of the first time marriages, stated that their marital unhappiness was overcome through permanent separation. For example, in the United States, 20 out of every 1000 women over the age of 15 get divorced (Hughes & Fergusson, 2004). Divorce is a main life stressor and is comparable to traumatic life events such as death of loved ones and loss of employment. Divorce affects not only the lives of each spouse but also the lives of children as well. Interestingly, MS is a significant subject that has been largely studied over the past 20 years particularly in terms of its relation to divorce (Parker, 2009). Since low MS is correlated with divorce (Huston et al., 2001) presents more detailed information about marriages including what contributes to successful marriages. The marital studies have been focused on understanding components of MS. Research has provided a big deal of concentration to many variables that lead to MS, including the correlation of MS with spousal view, demonstration of emotion, the influence of personality factors, the influence of coping strategies, attachment styles, interaction levels, gender roles, conflict management style, and problem solving style (Huston et al., 2001). Table 1 summerizes the indicators of marital satisfaction, research done by researchers, and kinds of relationship. In this regards, Fricker (2006) believed that although it is difficult to claim whether there is any magic factor that guarantees marital happiness, attachment styles have exposed potency in predicting relationship satisfaction or dissatisfaction. In line with this finding, Banse (2004) found that MS can be accounted by individuals’ own attachment to their romantic partners, the partner’s attachment style, as well as the interaction between the attachment style of each member of the couple.Attachment security is a judgment or expectation that one has about the accessibility and openness of others during times of stress. This sense is developed from a style or model learned in childhood through dealings with caregivers. Bowlby (1980) as the founder of attachment theory considered the heritage of early relationships with initial caregivers for personal wellfare and experiences in close relationships in later Influence of Attachment Styles on Marital Satisfaction: Library research Latifehossadat Madanian and Syed Mohamed Shafeq Bin Syed Mansor Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.