Toward a motivational model of couple happiness.

Abstract

The present s udy had two major objectives. The first was to investigate the validity of a motiva-tional model of couple happiness based on self-determination heory. The second objective was to test he postulated simplex structure and the generalizability of the 6 forms of motivation proposed by this theory. Both members of63 couples individually completed the Couple Motivation Ques-tionnaire as well as measures ofperceived couples ' adaptive behaviors and of dyadic happiness. Results revealed that he proposed model of couple happiness was supported through significant path analyses xplaining 61 % and 55 % of the variance of men's and women's relationship happiness, respectively. Empirical support was also provided for the postulated simplex structure. Results highlight the importance ofautonomy-driven processes a opposed to controlling and amotivated processes in the development a d maintenance of the quality of couples ' relationships. Several propositions have been presented in the past decade to explain the enhancement or the deterioration fthe quality of couples ' relationships. Empirical work has focused on the identification of interpersonal behaviors that influence rela-tionship quality such as social skills, communication style, and problem-solving style (eg, Gottman, 1979). Recent studies have also investigated the role of personality processes in order to better understand the determinants of these intimate relation-ship behaviors. For example, researchers have xamined person-ality dispositions uch as marital ocus of control (Miller, Lef-

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