Do Opposites Attract? - A Sociological Study

The purpose of this sociological study is to determine if people tend to marry those who behave differently from them. I will attempt to answer the question "Do Opposites Attract" by surveying six people whose answers will be based on a married couple that they know. Each person will answer a set of questions with a married couple that they know in mind.

"Opposites" for this cause mean that the male and female from the married couple in question do not have the same answer on a question, showing that they display different characteristics. I will be interviewing 3 females and 3 males, all of which will be 18 years of age or older.

Step Two- Review the Literature

Owens, Molly. "Do Opposites Attract? Compatibility and your Myers Briggs Personality Type." 20 Nov. 2007
This article sets out to answer if it is true that opposites attract. The author feels like the underlying question is if opposites or similar mates would make a better, more successful relationship. Compatibility researchers use the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator to examine differences in people. It is the most common personality test in the world and is based on the theory that we can understand differences in thinking, making decisions, and organizing our lives by measuring preferences in four areas.

The four areas are: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. E/I has to do with focusing attention and consuming energy. Interaction and the outside world is important to extraverts, while introverts tend to focus in on their world and enjoy spending time alone. S/I has to do with taking in information. Sensors focus on details and facts, but Intuitives focus on meaning and imagination. T/F relates to making decisions. Thinkers are more logical and decide based on facts. Feelers base their decisions on values and try to maintain harmony. J/P relates to organization in life. Judgers like structure and schedules, while Perceivers enjoy being spontaneous. After analyzing couple satisfaction the researchers determined that happy couples shared good communication skills, common values and interests, and worked out arguments calmly and openly. Researchers analyzed the Myers-Briggs of hundreds of couples and found that the more type preferences a couple has in common led to more satisfaction in the relationship.

The most common relationships, however, are between people who have two preferences in common. The scales of S/N, T/F, and J/P seem to be the most important factors involved in compatibility. There are some combinations of preferences that work well even though many areas aren't shared. Also, some combinations of similar factors do not work so well together. Based on research it is believed that most couples are happier when they are similar. It is important to keep in mind that communication, common interests, and strong friendships are the most important factors that lead to successful relationships. People should consider that partners that are different can stimulate, challenge, and learn from each other on stronger level than similar partners. They make better teams and are able to make up for each other's weaknesses. When dealing with someone who is different from you it is important to understand that they have feelings different from yours. People who are different can have successful relationships and it is important to know that no two relationships are the same.

Buston, Peter M., and Stephen T. Emlen. "Cognitive processes underlying human mate choice:
The relationship between self-perception and mate preference in Western society." 14 March 2003.
This study tested two hypotheses about the processes that determine human mate choice in Western society. "Mate preference is conditional in that the selectivity of individuals' mate preference is based on their perception of themselves as long-term partners, and (ii) the decision rule governing such conditional mate preference is based on translating perception of oneself on a given attribute into a comparable selectivity of preference for the same attribute in a mate." Both hypotheses were supported. A two-part questionnaire was completed by 978 people, ranging in age from 18-24. They rated 10 attributes that they looked for in a long-term partner and then rated themselves on those attributes. Men and women who rated themselves highly displayed more selection preferences in a mate. The study results show that, at least in Western society, people prefer partners who are similar to themselves in certain areas.

Luo, Shanhong, and Eva C. Klohen. "Assortative Mating and Marital Quality in Newlyweds: A Couple-Centered Approach." 11 Aug. 2004.
Newlyweds had been married less than a year was assessed on personality characteristics, attitudes and relationship quality indicators. Results show that couples were highly similar on attitudes and values. But they had little or no similarity on issues such as attachment, extraversion, conscientiousness and positive or negative emotions. There is no evidence that opposites attract. Researchers found that personality similarity was related to marital satisfaction, but attitude similarity was not. Personality-related characteristics are not known until the relationship is much stronger and time passes by they are not likely to be a factor in initial attraction and relationship building.

Step Three- The Hypothesis
This is descriptive research, no hypothesis will be tested.

Step Four- Research Method and Data Collection
The method used here are interviews and behavior questions are asked.
The data will be nominal, with closed questions limited to yes or no answers.

Step Five- Define the Sample

Individual graphic data:

Ed is a 21 year old Caucasian male. He lives in a one story house and is considered to be middle class. He is engaged and has no children. He is a Baptist student at USC Upstate. The couple that Ed is answering questions about is his parents who are both around 50 years of age. They have been married for 25 years.

Sully is a 45 year old Caucasian male. He lives in a two story house and is considered to be upper class. He is married with four children. He is a Baptist and owns his own business. The couple that Sully is answering questions about is his aunt and uncle. They are around 35 years of age and have been married for 10 years.

Jack is an 18 year old Caucasian male. He lives in a one story house and is considered to be lower class. He is single and has no children. He is a Catholic student in high school. The couple that Jack is answering questions about is his friends. They are around 25 years of age and have been married for 3 years.

Daisy is a 23 year old Asian female. She lives in a condo and is considered to be upper class. She is single and has no children. She is Buddhist and works as a nail technician. The couple that Daisy is answering questions about is her parents who are both around 40 years of age. They have been married for 15 years.

Lilith is a 30 year old Caucasian female. She lives in an apartment and is considered to be middle class. She is divorced with two children. She is Baptist and works as a nurse. The couple that Lilith is answering questions about is her brother and his wife. They are both around 35 years of age and have been married 8 years.

Victoria is a 20 year old Caucasian female. She lives in a three story house and is considered to be upper class. She is married with no children. She is a Baptist student at Furman University. The couple that Victoria is answering questions about is her in-laws. They are both around 50 years of age and have been married for 25 years.
The sample is a non-probability convenience sample. I am selecting people that I spend time with.

The results:
The results from individual couples show that 4 out of 6 couples show that they are opposites, 1 couple is more similar than opposite, and one couple is neither more similar or more opposite.

Couple 1 (Ed's parents) have been married for 25 years and show a strong difference in their behavior- 63% of characteristics they do not have in common.

Couple 2 (Sully's aunt and uncle) have been married for 10 years and show a strong difference in their behavior as well , with only 37% of similar characteristics.

Couple 3 (Jack's friends) have been married for 3 years and show neither more similarity nor more difference.

Couple 4 (Daisy's parents) have been married for 15 years and show that they are more different than similar- at 63% difference among traits.

Couple 5 (Lilith's brother and his wife) have been married for 8 years and are the only couple that show more similarity than difference, at 75%

Couple 6 (Victoria's in-laws) have been married for 25 years and show more difference at 63% of their traits not being the same.

The overall results of the study show that opposites do attract with over half of the cases, 54%, proving this. It is also important to note that there is a not a strong difference between 54% and 46%, so the data doesn't show strong evidence that opposites attract.

Comparison of responses:
Neat: 5 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship tends to be neat.
4 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship tends to be neat.

On time: 3 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship is usually on time.
3 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship is usually on time.

Outgoing: 3 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship is outgoing.
5 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship is outgoing.

Calm and logical: 3 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship is calm and logical.
4 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship is calm and logical.

Organized: 5 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship is organized.
3 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship is organized.

Problem-solver: 3 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship solves problems.
3 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship solves problems.

Assertive: 2 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship is assertive
5 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship is assertive.

Patient: 4 of the subjects indicated that the woman in the relationship is patient.
4 of the subjects indicated that the man in the relationship is patient.

Step Seven- Conclusion
The purpose of this research was to determine if opposites do attract based on data from married couples.

4 out of 6 couples show that they are opposites, 1 couple is more similar than opposite, and one couple is neither more similar or more opposite.

The overall results of the study show that opposites do attract with over half of the cases, 54%, proving this. It is also important to note that there is a not a strong difference between 54% and 46%, so the data doesn't show strong evidence that opposites attract.

The data shows that couples can be opposite and still be just as successful as couples who have more in common.

References:
Owens, Molly. "Do Opposites Attract? Compatibility and your Myers Briggs Personality Type." Articlebase. 20 Nov. 2007.
Buston, Peter M., and Stephen T. Emlen. "Cognitive processes underlying human mate choice:
The relationship between self-perception and mate preference in Western society." PNAS. 14 March 2003. < http://www.pnas.org/content/100/15/8805.full.pdf+html>

Luo, Shanhong, and Eva C. Klohen. "Assortative Mating and Marital Quality in Newlyweds: A Couple-Centered Approach." APA. 11 Aug. 2004. < http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/psp882304.pdf>