This study was designed to determine the relationship between personal and interpersonal perceptions, marital status and readmission or nonreadmission to the hospital. Interpersonal Check List (icl) data, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (mmpi), and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale vocabularies were obtained from 40 married alcoholics (2 women) and 40 unmarried alcoholics (9 women); 23 of the married group had been married more than once, while 23 of the unmarried were divorced and 11 separated. Icl data alone were obtained from spouses. The readmitted—nonreadmitted dichotomy was defined as the alcoholic's being rehospitalized within 12 months following discharge. Whereas 26 of the married were readmitted, 14 of the unmarried were readmitted (chi square = 7.20, p<.01). No significant differences in age, education or estimated verbal iq were found between the married—unmarried alcoholics or between the readmitted—nonreadmitted groups. No difference between self- and ideal-self concepts on Dominance or Love variables were obtained for the two dichotomized groups. Nearly all (35) the married patients described their spouses as strong, responsible persons; 15 of the spouses, however, described themselves as ineffectual and unfriendly, and 15 described their husbands as weak and hostile. Nearly all the alcoholics, without regard to classification, ascribed significantly more Dominance to their spouses than the spouses ascribed to themselves (p<.01). The sample, however, did not misperceive the spouses on the Love variable nor did the spouses misperceive the patients on either dimension. Trends for alcoholics readmitted to the hospital and their spouses to ascribe more Dominance to each other than nonreadmitted patients and their spouses were noted. Trends were also observed for readmitted patients to ascribe less loving qualities to their spouses and spouses more loving qualities to the alcoholic partner than in the other group. Nearly all subjects described their ideals as possessing much more dominance and love than themselves or their current marriage partner. Those who have been or now are Alcoholics Anonymous members were more likely to be nonmarried (52% vs. 30%). Unmarried subjects who had not participated in A.A. showed more self-deception, defined as discrepancy between icl and mmpi self-descriptions, than those who had (chi square = 6.2, p<.02). Difficulties in such apparently simple dichotomies as married—unmarried and readmitted—nonreadmitted were discussed. The use of “pure“ marital categories and sober and drinking alcoholics' descriptions of self and spouse were recommended for solving some of the problems encountered.