Social comparison, differentiation of self, perceived helicopter parenting as predictors of marriage maturity

The purpose of this study is to determine the predictive power of social comparison, differentiation of self, and perceived helicopter parenting attitude on marriage maturity among single individuals. Another aim of the study is to examine marriage maturity in terms of some personal variables (gender, having a romantic relationship or not and feeling ready for marriage). The study group of the research consists of 450 single individuals between the ages of 18 and 40, who were reached through a convenience sampling method. This is a descriptive study using relational survey model. In the study, data related to some personal variables were obtained by using 'Personal Information Form', data related to marriage maturity were obtained by using 'Marriage Maturity Scale', data related to social comparison were obtained by using 'Iowa-Netherlands Social Comparison Orientation Scale (INCOM-T)', data related to differentiation of self were obtained by using 'Differentiation of Self Scale (DASS)' and data related to perceived helicopter parenting were obtained by using 'Helicopter Parent Scale'. The research data were analysed by correlation, regression, and t-test. As a result of the analyses, a low level positive and significant relationship was found between marriage maturity and differentiation of self, while no statistically significant relationship was found between marriage maturity and social comparison and perceived helicopter parenting. However, social comparison and differentiation of self were found to be significant predictors of marriage maturity, whereas perceived helicopter parenting was not a significant predictor. Furthermore, while it was observed that marriage maturity did not show a significant difference based on gender, it was determined that those who were in a romantic relationship and those who felt ready for marriage had higher levels of marriage maturity. Keywords: Marriage maturity, Social comparison, Differentiation of self, Helicopter parenting.