The article by Thomas N. Bradbury and Frank D. Fincham reviews and critiques the literature on attributions in marriage, emphasizing the need to expand behavioral accounts to include covert processes. The authors examine how spouses attribute and explain marital events, finding that dissatisfied spouses tend to cast their partners' behaviors in a negative light. Experimental, clinical, and longitudinal data suggest that these attributions can influence marital satisfaction. The article identifies rival hypotheses and proposes a framework integrating attributions, behavior, and marital satisfaction, highlighting areas for future research. It concludes that the study of marital attributions holds significant potential for enriching behavioral conceptions of marriage. The review covers the evolution of research on marital quality, from early sociological studies to more recent focus on overt behaviors and covert variables. The article discusses the nature of attributions, including specific dimensions such as locus, stability, and control, and their association with marital satisfaction. It critiques rival hypotheses, such as the role of depression and the accuracy of attributions, and emphasizes the need for clear conceptual definitions and measurement standards in future research.The article by Thomas N. Bradbury and Frank D. Fincham reviews and critiques the literature on attributions in marriage, emphasizing the need to expand behavioral accounts to include covert processes. The authors examine how spouses attribute and explain marital events, finding that dissatisfied spouses tend to cast their partners' behaviors in a negative light. Experimental, clinical, and longitudinal data suggest that these attributions can influence marital satisfaction. The article identifies rival hypotheses and proposes a framework integrating attributions, behavior, and marital satisfaction, highlighting areas for future research. It concludes that the study of marital attributions holds significant potential for enriching behavioral conceptions of marriage. The review covers the evolution of research on marital quality, from early sociological studies to more recent focus on overt behaviors and covert variables. The article discusses the nature of attributions, including specific dimensions such as locus, stability, and control, and their association with marital satisfaction. It critiques rival hypotheses, such as the role of depression and the accuracy of attributions, and emphasizes the need for clear conceptual definitions and measurement standards in future research.