SEPARATION-INDIVIDUATION FROM FAMILY-OF-ORIGIN AND MARITAL ADJUSTMENTOF RECENTLY MARRIED-COUPLES

An optimal level of individuation from parents is believed to be neces sary for healthy adjustment of newly married young adults. To explore this assertion, applications for marriage licenses were used to identi fy 25 heterosexual couples between the ages of 19 and 30, married betw een 6 and 13 months. Spouses completed surveys containing the Psycholo gical Separation Inventory (J. A. Hoffman, 1984), with ratings for bot h parents on four scales of separation-individuation, and the Dyadic A djustment Scale (G. B. Spanier, 1976, 1989), measuring marital satisfa ction. Linear and curvilinear correlations suggested that husbands' br oad individuation from their mothers and functional individuation from their fathers has an important influence on both the husbands' and th e wives' adjustment to the new marriage. Curvilinear, but not linear s ignificant relationships were found between wives' individuation from parents and husbands' marital satisfaction.