Marriage in academe: Hitching your wagon to a star

A frequent pattern of marital dysfunction seen in an academic setting is described. Typically, the wife of a professor sublimates her own strong intellectual achievement needs in order to facilitate her husband's success. After he achieves renown, she expects he will support her efforts to satisfy suppressed achievement strivings. The husband/professor is locked into an external reward system and is unwilling to meet his wife's needs, leading to marital conflict. Background factors in both spouses set up this dysfunctional pattern. Marital therapy with an emphasis on self versus others' expectations for achievement is recommended. A case study is presented.