ABSTRACT
The research in question was exploratory, tentative and limited in its scope. The marriage patterns that people constructed were based on expressed attitudes or dispositions of the individuals involved. The solitary pursuits of the self-employed or the learner were not, therefore, fully satisfying. A-A marriages, like B-B marriages, are relationships where two very similar individuals are paired. In our sample A-A and B-B couples had typically met at university, were of the same age and shared similar aspirations, but often had dissimilar family backgrounds. The ‘Involved’ people also are dominant and high-achievers, but these attitudes are tempered, or, more often, confused, by the high value they place on ‘caring’ and ‘belonging’. The husband is ambitious for power and achievement but also values ‘caring’ and ‘belonging’. If he is competent he is likely to be working very hard and to be feeling under a considerable amount of stress.
