Verification and Commitment in Marital Relationships: An Exploration of Self-Verification Theory in Community College Students

Of 60 married couples, 22 to 55 years of age, 9-point ratings of each other on the Self-attributes Questionnaire showed 33 with negative self-views were rated more negatively by their spouses than 15 with moderate self-concepts and 12 with positive self-concepts. Those rated negatively by spouses were more committed to the relationships with their partners as were those with positive self-concepts so endorsed by their partners. Self-verification was positively associated with commitment.