Family‐of‐Origin Experiences and Adjustment in Married Couples

Within this article a model is tested that examines the relationship between married individuals' experiences in their family of origin and patterns of marital adjustment. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling procedures, making the couple the unit of analysis. This allowed for an exploration of how one partner's family-of-origin experience and the other partner's family-of-- origin experience uniquely influence each of the partner's experiences of the marriage. Two aspects of the results stand out. First, both husbands' and wives' family-of-origin experiences emerged as significant influences on marital adjustment. Second, the data suggest that wives' experiences within their family of origin are more strongly related to both their own accounts of their marriages and their husbands' accounts of their marriages than are husbands' family-of-origin experiences. Key Words: differentiation, intergenerational transmission, marital adjustment, multigenerational perspectives. Multigenerational perspectives on individual and family development assume that the dynamics within the family of origin constitute a legacy that influences the trajectory of both individual and family development (Allison & Sabatelli, 1988; Bowen, 1978; Farley, 1979; Harvey & Bray, 1991). These multigenerational perspectives assume, as well, that relational patterns of interaction and adjustment are transmitted across generations (Boszormeny-Nagy & Ulrich, 1981; Williamson, 1982) by influencing the social and emotional development of children (cf. Bowen, 1978; Kerr & Bowen, 1988; Wamboldt & Reiss, 1989; Wilcoxon & Hovestadt, 1985). These patterns of social and emotional development are reflected in whether individuals are able to act with an age-appropriate degree of autonomy and take personal responsibility for age-appropriate tasks. These patterns of social and emotional development are thought to influence, as well, the abilities of individuals to experience strong connections to others (Bagarozzi & Anderson, 1989; Napier, 1988; Satir, 1988; Schnarch, 1997). We focus on this broad set of assumptions by examining the interrelationships among married individuals' perceptions of their experiences within their family of origin and the qualities of marriage experienced by them and their intimate partners. The rationale for our research is grounded in the theoretical work of Bowen and other intergenerational theorist-therapists who focus on the connections between the emotional legacy of one's family of origin and how adult intimate partnerships are structured and experienced (cf. Bowen, 1978; Schnarch, 1997). According to Bowen (1978), family functioning is equated with the level of differentiation found within the family system. Effective or welldifferentiated systems are characterized by the ability to balance the ongoing tensions between separateness and connectedness. Within these families, members demonstrate respect and caring for one another. Children are encouraged to develop respect for themselves, and the interpersonal skills necessary to effectively manage the ordinary difficulties encountered within intimate partnerships are modeled in the ways in which parents characteristically interact with their children. Parents are empathically responsive to their children. Conflicts between parents and children (and between spouses) are constructively managed. Individuality and autonomy are promoted through the respectful, warm, and caring connections that parents demonstrate to one another and to their children. Less-differentiated systems are characterized by emotional fusion and a failure to effectively balance the needs for separateness and connectedness. Individuals growing up within these less-- differentiated families often will have difficulties negotiating boundaries in relationships and are easily made anxious about themselves and their ability to sustain intimate connections to others (Bartle & Rosen, 1994; Rosen, Bartle-Haring, & Stith, 2001). …