Marital decision making: A language‐action analysis

This study of marital decision making focuses upon a dual career couple making a timely marital‐career decision: whether to relocate their household for his or her career. A language‐action model highlights multiple components of the decision context, such as institutional constraints, shared information, and the form or structure of the conversation. Through the interface of these components a conversation analysis is rendered, and then compared with the couple's perceptions of their decision making. They describe themselves as equals, but the analysis suggests the husband exerts more influence. Several reasons for this discrepancy between the observer's and participants’ views are examined.