An investigation of the marital attitudes of married couples in four United States Air Force status groups

Author

Edgar H. Brimberry, University of the Pacific

Date of Award

1965

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

M. Lewis Mason

First Committee Member

[?]

Second Committee Member

H. M. [?]

Abstract

The need for research in the marital attitudes of Air Force couples is immense. The Air Force marital counselor requires knowledge of the attitudes of the couples coming to him for aid in saving their marriages., The counselor looks for empirical data on Air Force couples as a guide in counseling procedures only to discover that such data does not exist. Much data on the marital attitudes of civilian couples can be found, but this civilian data is applied to Air Force counseling with a doubt that it fits the Air Force situation. This research is an attempt to provide data useful in counseling Air Force couples in the Air Force setting.

The purpose of this investigation is to present any variance of marital attitudes in four Air Force status groups. The research has both theoretical and practical import.

There are two theoretical aspects: It is generally thought that marital roles are played differently in one status group than they are in another. If this generalization is true for the four Air Force status groups; unlike responses to marital questions will be the result. If it is not true for the four groups, like responses will be evident. Another generalization is that there are differential value systems of male and female marriage members. If in answer to marital questions, the male and female responses of Air Force couples are variant by rank, the generalization for these four groups is demonstrated. If the responses are not variant, the value systems for the sexes within the four groups are alike and the generalization is not proven.

The practical aspects flow from the theoretical. If it can be demonstrated that the four Air Force status groups display different marital roles and have various marital responses, Air Force counselors can prepare four types of marital counseling procedures. These counseling refinements could be of great value, making for maximum effect in marital counseling. If such could not be demonstrated, then other studies and refinements would be required. In either case, some knowledge and understanding would be added to the general body of knowledge and understanding now extant.

Pages

101

Recommended Citation

Brimberry, Edgar H.. (1965). An investigation of the marital attitudes of married couples in four United States Air Force status groups. University of the Pacific, Thesis. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/1588