Alekseeva O.S. Values and personality traits of spouses

The assortative mating based on psychological traits is one of the main topic for research, as it can impact marital satisfaction and longevity. While most studies focus on intra-couple similarities, the aim of this study was to assess not only intra-couple connections but also to explore possible interrelations between the values and personality traits of husbands and wives. A total of 300 married couples participated in the study, with an average age of 51.6 years for husbands and 48.8 years for wives. All couples had at least one adult child, averaging 23.5 years old. Both spouses completed the following questionnaires: 1) the Portrait Value Questionnaire, aimed at identifying the most significant values, 2) the Big Five Inventory, which assesses the five main personality traits, and 3) the Short Dark Triad (SD3), which assesses negative personality traits.

The findings revealed that the value hierarchies of husbands and wives differed slightly. Wives rated the values of Security and Universalism higher. Intra-couple similarity was found for the values of Conservation, Self-enhancement, and Self-transcendence, but not for the value of Openness to change. The Self-transcendent values of wives were linked with the conservative values of husbands. In terms of personality traits, husbands scored higher on Machiavellianism and Psychopathy, while wives scored higher on Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. Spouses were similar in negative traits, with only minor similarities in basic personality traits (except for the trait of Conscientiousness). Value preferences were more strongly associated with measures of the Dark Triad in spouses.

Conclusions: Spousal similarity was most pronounced for the values of Conservation, Self-enhancement, and Self-transcendence, as well as for negative personality traits.

Key words: spousal similarity, values, personality traits, Dark Triad

For citation: Alekseeva, O.S. (2024). Values and personality traits of spouses. New Psychological Research, No. 3, 147–164. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_03_07

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared within a state task, project FNRE-2024-0016 "Psychological effects of digitalization of the educational environment: opportunities for cognitive and personal development and socialization risks».