Relational Satisfaction and Jealousy Across Marital Types

This study investigated the effects of an individual's marital type (Traditional, Independent, Separate) on marital satisfaction and jealousy. Three significant findings emerged. First, Traditionals were found to be more satisfied with their marriages than Independents or Separates. Second, marital satisfaction was found to be negatively correlated with cognitive jealousy (r= -.64), behavioral jealousy (r = -.43) and emotional jealousy (r = -.31). Finally, Independents reported significantly more cognitive jealousy than Traditionals. Implications for the study of communication within intimate relationships are discussed.