| This study examined levels of differentiation and conflict across the lifespan of marriage within the context of Prosky's (1980/1991) three-stage developmental model. Twenty-two married couples, divided into three different groups based upon length of marriage, completed the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire (PAFS-Q) and the Family Environment Scale (FES). A series of 2 x 3 ANOVAs failed to support major hypotheses that (a) levels of differentiation proportionately increase with levels of conflict across the formative years of marriage, and (b) levels of differentiation remain constant with levels of conflict decreasing after the formative years of marriage. Data analysis revealed that levels of differentiation and conflict remained relatively constant across the lifespan of marriage. Significant gender differences were found on two measures of differentiation from the PAFS-Q. Pearson product moment correlations revealed gender differences in the relationships between length of marriage, measures of differentiation, and conflict. |
