ABSTRACT
One of the most unmistakable features of the study of marriage is a reliance on self-report measures of marital satisfaction, happiness, or adjustment as indicators of the quality of marriage. This feature can be viewed as an attempt to allow research participants to define what is and is not a high-quality marriage. By leaving quality assessment to the research participants, investigators believe they can avoid making value judgments about marriage. Indeed, the received view of science is one of objectivity. Many social scientists, policymakers, and citizens hope that this objectivity can lead to professional practices that enhance marriages and reduce divorce.
