ABSTRACT
The importance of assessing marital relationship quality in the context of psychological assessment has arisen in recent years from at least two trends. First, there is a growing appreciation for the critical role played by an individual’s primary attachment relationship in mediating psychological health and disorder (Hafner & Spence, 1988; Kumar & Robson, 1984; Waring, 1983; Waring, Patton, Neron, & Linker, 1983; Yassa, Nastase, & Camille, 1988). Knowledge of an individual’s functioning in this area that can aid the test interpreter in assessing an individual’s interpersonal functioning, general life adjustment, and social resources is critical in facilitating and maintaining treatment gains. Second, practitioners of marital therapy in recent years have become increasingly aware of the need for personality assessment as a part of treatment planning. Growing awareness of the limitations of family systems perspectives among family and marital therapists has prompted new interest in individual psychology, and with this trend is expected a renewed interest in individual assessment.
