Mediating Role of Independent and Interdependent Self-construal between Commitment and Marital Adjustment among Married Men

The present study examined marital functioning in Men. The study examined the mediating role of independent and interdependent self-construal in the relationship between marital commitment and marital adjustment among married men. Grounded in the Investment Model by Rusbult (1980) and the Self-construal by Markus and Kitayama (1991) the study examined how and why men stay committed in marriage. The study sought to determine whether culturally defined self-views shape the relationship between commitment and marital adjustment. A sample of Married Men (N=101) completed standardised measures of Self-Construal, Marital Commitment, and Dyadic Adjustment dimensions. Correlational analysis supported Hypothesis 1, indicating marital commitment was significantly associated with marital adjustment, while both forms of self-construal displayed differential correlations with various dimensions of marital adjustment and marital commitment. Findings did not support Hypothesis 2; both self-construals, independent and interdependent, did not mediate the association between commitment and adjustment. Commitment is a robust predictor of adjustment.