CompatibleChoice.com® was developed by Dr. J. Donald Lawson, (Ph.D., counseling psychology, Michigan State University) a psychologist who has counseled couples for more than 19 years.
His clinical experience counseling couples reinforced his conviction that compatibility is essential in relationships. Couples who are the most compatible are most able to weather the inevitable stressors that contribute to marital conflict. Couples who are less compatible are more likely to experience marital disconection when faced with stress, no matter how strong the initial chemistry in their relationships.
His clinical practice with couples also informed him that couples often meet on dating sites that provide little or no valid compatibility information. Since people don't always expect to marry individuals they meet on dating sites, this lack of information may initially seem unimportant. However, as problems develop in the relationship, this underlying weakness of most dating sites becomes increasingly clear.
He concluded that the basic tool that a compatibility matching site requires is a compatibility test that assesses the areas of long term, committed relationships that are most important to the healthy functioning of relationships that could potentially end in marriage.
The test would make the concept of compatibility accesible to its users, and allow them to use it in a flexible manner that places the locus of control with the user, instead of an "expert." This led to the development of "The Compatible Lifestyle Questionnaire-R©," which is the result of a thorough scientific investigation.
The seven scales included in the questionnaire are; "Personality," "Communication & Conflict Resolution," "Romantic & Sexual Style," "Financial Style," "Coping Style," "Interests," and "Family Values."