Comparison of the effectiveness of couple therapy based on forgiveness and Hendrix's Imago relationship therapy on marital forgiveness and positive feeling for the spouse

Subject Areas : Educational

Mehrana Askary ¹ , Mahnaz Mehrabi Zadh Honarmand ² , zahra dashtbozorgi ³ , parviz askary ⁴

1 - psychology. Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
2 - Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran. , Department of Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
4 - Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

Received: 2019-08-14 Accepted : 2020-01-18 Published : 2021-08-23

Keywords: forgiveness' Therapy, forgiveness and positive feeling for the spouse, Hendrix Imago relationship therapy,

Abstract :

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of couple therapy based on forgiveness and communication imaging on marital past and positive feelings toward spouse in women with poor marital status. The research design was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The sample size was 75 women who were selected by convenience sampling. Of these, 25 were assigned to experimental group based on forgiveness, 25 to experimental group, and 25 to control group randomly assigned. The research tools used were the Trait Forgiveness Questionnaire (Barry et al., 2005) and the Positive Feelings Questionnaire (Ellier & Trekowitz, 1978). The experimental group received 8 sessions of 90-minute training and the experimental group received 9 minutes of forgiveness-based couple therapy. Multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance was used for data analysis. Results showed that both post-test approaches had a significant effect on marital forgiveness and positive feelings toward spouse and led to a significant increase in forgiveness and positive feelings toward spouse (P <0.005). Also, there was no significant difference between the two methods of intervention in influencing the dependent variables. According to the findings, each of these approaches is one of the most effective and successful interventions in the field of couple therapy.

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