About the measure
When you first found out who your individual married, you tried to imagine how compatible the two would be as a couple. Most people based their judgments of compatibility upon similar leisure interests, family backgrounds, personality traits, and general values (such as egalitarianism). During the divorced interview, we asked each ex-partner to rate the marriage using similar criteria. Using the scale below, ex-spouses responded to twenty-one items addressing the compatibility in their marriage.
Finally, the interviewer asked one final question: "Please think about how well you and [PAIR Partner] had typically gotten along on a day to day basis over the two months before you seriously talked about getting a divorce." On a scale from one (completely incompatible) to seven (completely compatible), ex-spouses reported the number that best described how compatible they thought the two were.
Finding
There are no summed variables for compatibility; you can find the individual items in the Divorced data packet, in the "Compatibility - Divorced" section.
Interpreting
These items can give you a sense of "hot spots" in the couple's marriage. Use each area of incompatibility as a "lead." For example, if one spouse rated their "ideas on how to spend and save money" as very different, look back at the data you have on the couple's finances. Was this an area of conflict or dissatisfaction? How far back into the relationship did these problems begin?
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Divorce Table of Contents