Exploring Love and Marital Satisfaction among Married Malay Males

As a result of love being an important reason for individuals to enter marriage, this study aims to explore the relationships between components of love and marital satisfaction. A total of 64 married urban Malay males who volunteered to participate in a larger study exploring the psychological aspects of close relationships were chosen in this study. Questionnaires consisting of questions relating to personal background, love and marital satisfaction were distributed. Completed questionnaires were collected and analyzed to determine relationships among variables. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between love, specifically, the passion component of love and marital satisfaction. The total number of children and age of spouse were also significantly negatively related to marital satisfaction. The results in this study indicated the importance of love especially the passion component of love in promoting marital satisfaction among married Malay individuals. Thus, this suggests future research to focus on love aspects in studying gender, marital relationships and psychological well-being.