فهرست مطالب شهناز دهایی

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effectiveness of self-differentiation therapy on couples’ egocentrism and marital adjustment based on Bowen’s family systems theory. It is an applied and quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population is 56 couples who contacted NAJA counseling centers in Tehran in 2018. The criteria for inclusion in the study were assigned by a psychiatrist. It included the absence of personality disorders, absence of chronic mental disorders, absence of addiction, and couples identified as dynamic in a diagnostic interview, a problem related to demarcation. In addition, the self-report of the subjects confirmed that they were not on the verge of divorce and did not have chronic physical illnesses. Therefore, 15 couples were in the experimental group and 15 couples were in the control group. The Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (LWMAT) and the Lapsley Ego-Centrism Questionnaire (LAPCEL) were used. Repeated measures were used and the hypothesis was tested using SPSS-21 software with a mixed analysis design. Differentiation therapy significantly contributed to the improvement of marital adjustment (P = 0.001). In egocenterism, results of Personal Fable Scale (PFS) indicated that the therapy affected uniqueness (P = 0.048) and the omnipotence and vulnerability components (P = 0.001). The therapy has been also affected the fantasy variable (P = 0.001). The 1-month follow-up of the results showed the stability of the effects of the intervention. Therefore, the intervention increased compatibility and decreased egocentrism of couples in the experimental group compared with the control group in the posttest and follow-up phases. So this model can be used by family counselors and therapists

Commitment to marriage is of importance as a sustainable mechanism. It is one of the characteristics of successful and long-lasting marriages. Marital commitment is the strongest and most stable predictor of marital quality and stability. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of self-differentiation treatment based on Bowen’s family system theory on couples’ marital commitment.

The research method was quasi-experimental with convenience sampling and one-month follow-up. The statistical population included clients who visited the counseling centers of Greater Tehran Police Command in the last quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. The sample included 30 couples, randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups (allocation ratio of 1:1). Marital commitment Questionnaire (Adams & jones, 1997) was utilized. The couples in the intervention group received ten 60-minute sessions of self-differentiation treatment by the researcher based on Bowen’s treatment system as group therapy over three months. The control group received no treatment. The follow-ups in both groups were performed after one month. The data analysis was done in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up through repeated measures analysis of variance and mixed design.

The results indicated that the self-differentiation treatment was significantly effective in promoting marital commitment among couples of the intervention group compared to the controls (p=0.001). Furthermore, the results of the mixed design analysis indicated that the implementation of the independent variable was meaningful on all three components of Personal Commitment (p=0.001), structure Commitment (p=0.001) and Moral Commitment (p=0.004). This intervention’s results were also significant at the follow-up stage.

The self-differentiation treatment intervention based on Bowen’s family system theory effectively improved the couples’ marital commitment in the intervention group compared to the control group. The results of this research can be used in intervention planning with an emphasis on the role and importance of self-differentiation in the family to promote marital commitment and prevent couples from betraying each other, achieving timely prevention of divorce and emotional divorce picked up.