Marital Quality, Personality, and Counselling Intervention: A Conceptual Synthesis of their Influence on Marital Adjustment
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Abstract
Purpose: Marital adjustment remains a central indicator of relational well-being and psychological health across cultures. Although substantial research has examined marital quality, personality traits, and counselling interventions independently, fewer integrative frameworks explain how these constructs operate together in shaping marital adjustment. This conceptual review synthesizes contemporary peer-reviewed literature (2011–2026) alongside foundational theoretical models to develop a unified theoretical framework. Drawing on the Vulnerability–Stress–Adaptation model, attachment theory, and the Five-Factor Model of personality, this paper proposes that personality traits function as enduring vulnerabilities that influence marital quality, which in turn mediates marital adjustment. Counselling interventions are conceptualized as adaptive processes that directly enhance marital quality and marital adjustment while potentially moderating personality-related vulnerabilities. Through critical synthesis of over 40 empirical studies, a theoretically integrated model is developed to guide future empirical testing. The paper advances theory by clarifying directional pathways among personality, marital quality, and counselling processes, and offers implications for research, therapeutic practice, and relational assessment.
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