Comparisons of discrepancy of interpersonal needs and perceptions of marital satisfaction between couples involved in a marriage encounter group and couples engaged in marital therapy

The major problem addressed in this study was the examination of differences between couples involved in a marriage encounter group and couples engaged in marital therapy. The focus was along the dimensions of discrepancy of interpersonal needs and perceptions of material satisfaction. The tools used for this study were a demographic data sheet, a Likert scale of marital satisfaction, and the Marital Attitude Evaluation Acale (MATE). Three hypotheses were developed to examine differences in perceived marital satisfaction and discrepancy of interpersonal needs between the two groups. The findings revealed that the couple in marital therapy displayed a higher discrepancy of interpersonal needs and a lower perception of marital satisfaction than did couple in the marriage enrichment program. The findings also suggest that certain independent variables obtained from the respondent's demographic data sheet also had an effect upon discrepancy of interpersonal needs and perceptions of marital satisfaction.