CONJUGAL POWER AND AVOIDANCE OF CONFLICTS BY MEN

Many studies have showed that husbands are more likely to withdraw fro m conflictual marital interactions than wives, especially in distresse d couples. Currently, three hypotheses have been advanced to explain t his sex difference : the greater physiological reactivity of men durin g conflict situations, the differential socialization of men and women , and the differential power assigned to men and women. The main objec tive of this study was to examine the hypothesis that marital power is a good predictor of husbands' withdrawal. One hundred and thirty-two couples completed a series of questionnaires, including the Marital Ad justment Test, a communication questionnaire, and two measures of mari tal power. The main hypothesis was tested by use of regression analysi s. Results showed that marital adjustment predicted 44% of husbands' w ithdrawal, while marital power did not account for a significant propo rtion of the variance. These results are discussed in the light of the suggested hypotheses accounting for the differences in husbands and w ives behavior during marital conflict.