Understanding Marriage: A Hong Kong Case Study

Chapter Four. Classification of Types of Marriage

Chapter Four Classification of Types of Marriage The process of organizing data into meaningful patterns is one of the exciting challenges of research work. This chapter analyses scores from the ENRICH inventory to identify patterns of the varieties in types of marriages. One classification is based on types of marriages as proposed in the Circumplex model. Another is derived from cluster analysis of the ENRICH Couple Positive Agreement Scores. Case studies will be used to illustrate each type. Types of Marriage According to the Circumplex Model The ENRICH marital inventory is one of the scales associated with the Circumplex model which proposes a typology of 16 types of marriage. The ENRICH computer report includes a map showing the spouses' type of marriage according to their responses on the cohesion and adaptability subscales. Scores on cohesion reflects the balance of separate-togetherness in the marriage which can range from being enmeshed , connected, separated, disengaged. Scores on adaptability reflects the stability-change balance and can range from being rigid, structured, flexible, to chaotic. The mid-range levels, connected and separated for cohesion and flexible and structured for adaptability, are considered to be the functional levels. Levels of extreme cohesion and extreme adaptability are considered to be dysfunctional (Olson, Fournier, and Druckman, 1987). 62 Variations in Marriage Spouses in the same marriage may not experience or view their relationship in the same way. One spouse may consider the marriage to be flexible with each spouse taking responsibility or assuming the leadership role according to the situation. The other spouse may be of the opinion that the manner in which they deal with decisions and tasks is quite fixed. One may regard the amount of togetherness and closeness which they share to be adequate, and the other may feel this to be too much or too little. In determining the type of marriage as perceived by each spouse, the Circumplex model takes account of each partner's perspective, and adopts individual scores on cohesion and adaptability to plot their position on a topology of sixteen types of marriage. On this basis, the 204 spouses in the Hong Kong sample have been plotted on the Circumplex model as presented in Figure 4.l. Analysis of the types of marriage according to the Circumplex model showed no significant difference between adjusted and non-adjusted spouses; or between husbands and wives. Types of Marriages Through Cluster Analysis In organizing types of marriage, it is also possible to statistically cluster groups with similar characteristics. Synder and Smith (1986) utilized entire scores from one inventory, the Marital Satisfaction Index (MSI), to derive five types. Filsinger, McAvoy, and Lewis (1984) used four scales to make up a Pair Formation Inventory. Cluster analysis of this combination produced seven types which they considered represent pathways along which marriages can develop. The Hong Kong study adopted Ward's (1963) technique in cluster hierarchial agglomerative analysis to sort out the sample according to their scores on 13 ENRICH scales. In this analysis couples most similar are grouped together to form a type. A type consists of members that are more similar to each other than members of other types. The grouping is determined by the smallest increase in the Errors Sum of Squares, ESS, to the centroid (means of the dimensions) of the parent cluster. Cluster Analysis - ENRICH Scales While the Circumplex model registers the spouses' types of marriage on the basis of individual scores, cluster analysis will determine the type of marital relationship according to the Positive Couple Agreement scores, 64 Variations in Marriage the PCA. This couple score is obtained by synchronizing the spouses responses according to whether they agree or disagree with each other. In the Hong Kong study, preliminary cluster analysis of the 102 marriages produced two clusters, 59 in one and 43 in the other. The DAS, applied to determine criterion groups, classified the marriages into 57 couples in the adjusted group and 45 in the non-adjusted group. Thus, ENRICH and DAS applied to the same sample of married people produced very similar results. Further cluster analysis to derive six groups produced four groups with scores indicating positive marriages and two groups with scores indicating difficult marriages. This is diagrammatically presented in Table 4.1. Computer analysis to the seventh cluster permitted further refinement , differentiating the hannonious marriages group into two clusters: one hannonious marriages and another group consisting of a few outstandingly mei mun happy...