Congruence in perceptions of well-being

Abstract

Congruence between self and other perceptions of happiness was examined in a group of 40 couples. Affectometer 1 (short form) a rating scale, was compared with a Q-sort of the adjectives from Affectometer in terms of the strength of self-other correlations obtained. Previous studies using the Q-sort procedure have claimed that its forced-choice methodology corrects for differences in scale usage between people, enabling the attainment of higher self-other correlations. The two methodologies resulted in similar levels of congruence with rs of .489 on Affectomter and .429 on Q-sort. These results (1) further validate Affectometer as a measuring instrument and (2) indicate that self-other correlations can exceed the .3 barrier when 'significant' others are used as raters and reliable scales are used. There was a significant sex difference with higher levels of congruence between self and partner ratings when females were the judges, due mainly to greater variability amongst males than females in their ability to accurately judge their partners. Congruence was also examined as a function of communication level. An interaction effect was found between communication and sex of the person making the judgements. Notions regarding happiness are discussed in the light of results from the present study.