`Sweet Pea' and `Pussy Cat': An Examination of Idiom Use and Marital Satisfaction Over the Life Cycle

Abstract

One hundred and fifty-four couples participated in this study to assess the relationship between their recalled use of idiosyncratic communication and marital satisfaction over the life cycle. Couples ranged from `newly married' to `married over 50 years'. Each couple was given the satisfaction sub-scale of Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment scale and were asked to recall idioms they use within their marriage. The hypothesis that satisfied husbands and wives report more idioms than unsatisfied spouses was supported. Results also suggest that spouses' use of idioms declines over the life cycle. Couples married less than five years with no children reported using the most idioms; couples in later stages recalled using the fewest number of idioms. The notion that idioms are developed and used in the early stages of relationships was supported by these findings.