FREE ASSESSMENT OF THE PARTNER - A NEW WA Y IN DIAGNOSING THE QUALITYOF INTIMATE-RELATIONSHIPS

The results of a study are presented, which investigated the applicati on of the Five-Minute-Speechsample to the area of partnership-diagnosi s. Using a self-developed coding system, speech samples of N=206 subje cts were coded. The coding included a global assessment of the subject 's satisfaction with his/her partner/partnership and a quantitive regi stration of all his/her critical or positive remarks. An evaluation of the coding system was done to determine its inter-rater reliability a nd its concurrent and predictive validity. The results prove the syste m's validity for the area of partnership-diagnosis and an inter-rater reliability ranging from satisfactory to good. The use of the FMSS as an open-ended procedure is recommended in addition to more structured psychometric tests.