Dimensions of intimacy in marriage.

Intimacy as an important aspect of interpersonal relationships has been widely accepted (Erikson 1950, Sullivan 1953). In the broad context, an understanding of the role of intimacy has been discussed as essential to the development of a science of interpersonal relationships (Hinde 1978). More specifically, intimacy has been cited as an important dimension of the marital interpersonal relationship (Berman and Lief 1975). This paper describes a study of intimacy in 30 young married couples, randomly selected from the general population. Personal identity and accurate perception of the spouse were significant correlates of marital intimacy, and a factor analysis revealed four dimensions of marital relationships: compatibility, structure, intimacy, and problem-solving. In this study, marital adjustment was significantly correlated with expressiveness, commitment, organization, expressed affection, and the absence of conflict. These findings are discussed in the context of the role of intimacy in a science of interpersonal behavior.

Intimacy and emotional illness in the general population.

Ninety married couples in the general population received a structured interview to assess their level of intimacy. The couples also completed self-report questionnaires to assess non-psychotic emotional illness and marital adjustment. High levels of intimacy were associated with martial adjustment. Low ratings of marital intimacy were significantly associated with non-psychotic emotional illness and psychiatric help-seeking. These findings are discussed in relationship to recent studies which explore the role of lack of marital intimacy as a vulnerability factor in the development of non-psychotic emotional illness. Implications for treatment of non-psychotic emotional illness in married individuals is briefly discussed.