ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses upon the comparison level (CL), its relation to satisfaction and attraction, and its determinants. In defining the CL the primary intention is to locate a psychologically meaningful mid-point for the scale of outcomes—a neutral point on a scale of satisfaction-dissatisfaction. Locating the CL, enables us to analyze the subjective consequences of membership in a dyad. The powerless person will be more likely to assign causality for his happy marriage to external agencies, such as fate, good luck, unprovoked good will, and enigmatic forces. His CL will be expected to rise very gradually as instigations from favorable outcomes in the marriage take effect. The general conception a person has about how well he can perform on tasks in general, which has been referred to in the literature as his "ego-level," is probably related to his general feelings of self-esteem.
