International Journal of Advances in Electronics and Computer Science, ISSN: 2393-2835                 Volume-4, Issue-11, Nov.
-2017
                                                              http://iraj.in
      ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO MATCHMAKING TO INCLUDE
        BEHAVIORAL ATTRIBUTES FOR HIGHER MARRIAGE
                       SATISFACTION
                         1
                             MOHIT BANSAL, 2PRANAV GETHEWALE, 3MOHIT BATRA
                                 1,2,3
                                  National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
                  E-mail: m.bansal792@gmail.com, 2pranav_geth@yahoo.co.in, 3batramohit43@gmail.com
                             1
Abstract - This paper analyses the relation of marriage satisfaction with the personality and behavioral attributes of the
individuals involved. Considering the rise in online matchmaking sites in India, it becomes imperative to have a holistic view of
the individual’s attributes rather than looking at a very few family and physical attributes, as done currently. This paper presents a
pilot study of 150 couples to evaluate the importance of SCOPE variables in identifying personal and behavioral attributes and
hence predicting marriage satisfaction. From the study it was found that couples for which both partners score high on the
variables are highly satisfied, followed by couples scoring high-low and the last being the couples scoring both low.
Index terms - Matchmaking, Marriage satisfaction, Behavioral attributes, SCOPE variables.
I. INTRODUCTION                                                       marriage represents the merger of two entire systems
                                                                      combining together in developing a new, third family
Marriage is perceived by sociologists as a system of                  system.[2]
roles of a man and a woman whose union has been                       Despite of undisputed growth of popular matrimonial
given social sanction as husband and wife. The                        vis-à-vis matchmaking sites, user data base, no. of
equilibrium of the system requires adjustment between                 active users looking for spouses, compatibility and a
the two partners so that the role enactment of one                    series of associated practical behavioral problems
partner corresponds to the role expectations of the                   amongst couple still remains a question of thought.
other. This perhaps becomes the most important                        Certainly, this calls for a revolutionary change in
decision of your life, and one of the most important you              matchmaking industry, thereby adopting a more refined
make. One may get confused on what qualities and                      analytical approach in matchmaking, thus
attributes to look for while making a choice for a                    understanding personalities and behavioral aspects of a
partner, where one generally ends up with appearance,                 person. Study conducted by Adrienne Kaufman
profession, educational achievements and family status.               revealed that personality attributes do have a significant
However, this may end you with a person having good                   impact on the marriage satisfaction [5]
personality but not necessarily the requisite character
and behavioral attributes. The current matchmaking                    III. OBJECTIVE
setup helps people find the name, qualification, current
job post and contact information, but doesn’t looks into              This paper aims at exploring a revolutionary change
person's character and behavior. Such alliance based                  required in matchmaking for couples with a new
only on qualification, status and caste has been a reason             dimensional approach considering the behavioral
for separation, conflicts and lack of compatibility                   aspects of a person. During this paper we will address
between couples[4]. Recent developments in the field                  one main objective listed below
of personality psychology have indicated that
personality traits have strong influence over couple’s                         To study the importance of SCOPE behavioral
relationship satisfaction and perhaps even be predictive                        variables over married couples in affecting
of whom people would be attracted to.                                           their relationship satisfaction
II. LITERATURE OVERVIEW                                               IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Marriage qualifies as a life cycle transition that is both            Database Creation – Since no open data source was
normative and anticipated, and yet, has the potential to              available that could give us the necessary information,
be highly stressful. According to McGoldrick study,                   we conducted a survey on 150 couples who were
becoming a couple is one of the most complex and                      married for more than 2 years but less than 5 years. The
difficult transitions of the family life cycle even though            upper limit for 5 years of marriage was chosen,
it is often perceived as the least complicated and most               considering a greater probability of marriages being
joyous.[1] This romanticized view of the transition to                unsuccessful and people getting divorced within a span
marriage may contribute to a couple’s lack of adequate                of 5 years. [3]. Couples were selected from different
preparation and subsequent difficulty and distress                    parts of India to avoid any regional bias that might also
during the transition. Many people consider marriage as               affect marriage satisfaction. The questions in the survey
the unimpeded, blissful joining of two individuals but
                 Analytical Approach to Matchmaking to Include Behavioral Attributes for Higher Marriage Satisfaction
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International Journal of Advances in Electronics and Computer Science, ISSN: 2393-2835                 Volume-4, Issue-11, Nov.-2017
                                                              http://iraj.in
encompassed majorly two themes 1) SCOPE behavioral
                                                                                                   Variable              Marriage
variables 2) Marriage satisfaction variables. The
respondents were given a chance to answer on a scale                       Variable                 score               satisfaction
                                                                                                 combination               score
of 1 to 7 for all of the given questions.
                                                                             Social                Low-High                 29
Methodology used – We identified the SCOPE
variables from PREPARE- ENRICH assessment as key                             Social                Low-Low                  21
identifiers in knowing the inherent behavior of a person
that is in turn linked with marriage satisfaction. The                       Social               High-High                 37
scope variables cover the complete array of questions
that can help in knowing minutely about the person.                         Change                 Low-High                33.6
S, Social (extroversion) – This metrics addresses the
social, outgoing and excitability character of a person.                    Change                 Low-Low                 30.5
It helps in recognizing people who seek simulation in
presence of other people, are excited about meeting                         Change                High-High                38.31
new people and are not afraid of being the centre of
attention. However, people scoring low usually are                        Organized                Low-High                 28
introverts and they lack the social exuberance, energy
and excitement to interact beyond few people.                             Organized                Low-Low                 32.6
C, Change (Openness) – This parameter helps to see
characteristics such as creativity, flexibility,                          Organized               High-High                37.3
imagination, ability to lead, and quest to explore
unexplored stuff. This characteristic helps in                              Pleasing               Low-High                 32
differentiating people between who think rationally and
who are passionate and open to changes. Person scoring                      Pleasing               Low-Low                 24.25
high on this parameter usually are more
creative/experimental while people who score low                            Pleasing              High-High                37.5
usually stick to stringent traditional practices.
O, Organized – This metrics helps in knowing about                       Emotionally
                                                                                                   Low-High                31.5
the readiness, planning and goal-oriented behavior of                      stable
the person. Person scoring high on this metric usually
like planning and lay out a structure for their actions                  Emotionally
                                                                                                   Low-Low                 29.1
while people scoring low on this metric usually have an                    stable
erratic and impulsive behavior.
P, Pleasing – Through this parameter we want to look                     Emotionally
                                                                                                  High-High                37.9
at the helping, altruistic, and affectionate attitude of the               stable
person. People who score high on this parameter                         Table 1 Average marriage satisfaction scores of couples for
usually respect individuals and have affection for the                            different variable score combinations
people around them. However, people scoring low are
often seen to be quarrelsome and are selfish.                         From the table it can be clearly interpreted that couples
E, Emotionally steady – This refers to person’s                       who both score high on any of the dimensions will
emotional strength and ability to withstand pressure.                 likely have a higher marriage satisfaction as compared
People who score high on this metric are mentally                     to the couples either scoring low-low or low-high. This
stable, do not doubt others intentions, and don’t have                indicates that couples that both score high have passion,
anxiety while people scoring low usually exhibit such                 energy, emotional stability and treat one another with a
problems on mental trauma and feeling socially                        great deal of love, respect and consideration. However
insecure.                                                             couples that both score low are introvert, dull and are
                                                                      not able to invest time into ways that can bring
Similarly a metric was defined to estimate the marriage               happiness to themselves or their partner. Interestingly,
satisfaction of couples. This metric included factors                 couples scoring low-high have a higher marriage
related to family roles and responsibilities, conflict                satisfaction that couples scoring low. This indicates that
resolution, love, understanding, communication, family,               this kind of couple finds ways to resolve conflicts, stay
religious beliefs, and temper and mood related factors.               happy and play good roles in relationship.
Response to each question factored into the satisfaction
metric was rated on a score of 1 to 7, totaling the                   Additionally, it was observed that couples having
highest score for marriage satisfaction to 49. Further                difference in the overall behavioral score were the most
examinations were done to see how different                           unsatisfied couples. 90% of the couples that had a
combinations of behavioral attributes have an effect on               difference of more than 10% in the behavioral
the marriage satisfaction score.                                      satisfaction score showed lesser marriage satisfaction.
                 Analytical Approach to Matchmaking to Include Behavioral Attributes for Higher Marriage Satisfaction
                                                                 93
International Journal of Advances in Electronics and Computer Science, ISSN: 2393-2835                    Volume-4, Issue-11, Nov.-2017
                                                              http://iraj.in
CONCLUSION                                                            REFERENCES
When one partner is highly social and the other is not,               In order to understand this topic better we studied the
the couple will need to communicate openly with one                   following papers
another about attending social events and getting
                                                                      [1]   McGoldrick, M. (1989). The joining of families through
together with others. One of them gets energy from                          marriage: The new couple.
socializing with others, while the other prefers more                 [2]   In B.Carter & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), The changing family life
privacy and alone time. Unnecessary conflict can be                         cycle: A framework for familytherapy (2nd ed.) (pp. 209-233).
                                                                            Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
avoided in relationships by keeping the compatibility
                                                                      [3]   Tara L.Corneleus & Kieran T. Sullivan (2009), Transition to
aspect in mind while selecting a partner. Looking into                      marriage.
the SCOPE aspects even for the Indian couples gives a                 [4]   Lawrence E., & Bradbury, T.N.,(2007), Trajectories of change
holistic personality view that is necessary for a happy                     in physical aggression and marital satisfaction. Journal of
                                                                            family psychology, 21(2), 236-247.
and satisfied married life. For further studies and                   [5]   Adrienne Kaufmann (2011) . Personality, Partner Similarity and
analysis, predictive models can be built using these                        Couple Satisfaction: Do Opposites Attract or Birds of a Feather
attributes to successfully gauge the chances of                             Flock Together?
successful companionship two prospective people have.
                                                               
                 Analytical Approach to Matchmaking to Include Behavioral Attributes for Higher Marriage Satisfaction
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