Territoriality and Privacy in Married and Unmarried Cohabiting Couples

Abstract

Summary Territoriality and having a place within the residence for being alone were studied among coresiding married and unmarried couples. It was assumed that commitment to a long-term relationship is necessary before a coresiding couple develops territoriality. Hence, married couples were predicted to have greater territoriality than unmarried couples. It was further assumed that cohabiting individuals would need backstage regions and symbols of separateness and that American marriage norms oppose physical separateness for married persons. Hence, it was predicted that unmarried persons would be more likely to have places within the residence for being alone. Both predictions were supported. Additional analyses are reported comparing married persons with and without a history of premarital cohabitation. These analyses suggest that couples who cohabited premaritally retained a comparatively low level of territoriality after marrying.

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