Personality implications of adaption-innovation: IV. Cognitive style as a predictor of marital success

The present study provides support for the hypothesis that similarities and differences in cognitive style could mediate the success of a marital relationship. Forty-five married couples, whose scores on the Marital Views Survey indicated they were satisfied in their marriage, independently completed the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI; Kirton, 1976) to determine their cognitive style (adaptor or innovator). Both members of 45 divorced couples also completed the KAI. Significantly more adaptor/adaptor dyads (32/45, i.e., 71%) were found among married couples than in the divorced sample, suggesting that the preference for structure characteristic of spouses in adaptor/adaptor pairings enables them to produce mutually beneficial approaches to change and solutions to problems in their marriages. The KAI may be valuable in the prospective determination of marital compatibility, and in therapy protocols for couples with marital difficulties.