Abstract

This study investigated the importance of personal and interpersonal perceptions of conflict styles in predicting the marital well-being. The sample is composed 635 of 226 marital couples (452 subjects). Measures employed are Camara and Resnick "Disagreeement Scale" (1989) in its Italian validation (Lanz, Iafrate and Rosnati, 1997), Locke and Wallace "Marital Adjustment Test" (MAT; 1959). Indices of similarity, perceived similarity and understanding were obtained for each pair of items of Disagreement Scale (17 item self perception; 17 item perception of other): when both partners' self-perceptions are congruent, there is actual similarity; when one person's perception of the self and perception of other are congruent, there is perceived similarity for that person; and when a partner's perception of the other corresponds with the other's selfperception there is understanding, or accuracy in reporting each other's behaviors. Similarity, perceived similarity and understanding are measures of perceptual congruence. The findings highlight the importance of measures of perceptual congruence - concerning either the destructive conflict styles or the constructive conflict styles - as predictors of marital well-being.