Application of Horney's psychoanalytic theory on the marital adjustment of divorce-seeking women based on personality types: a single-subject research

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD in psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: One of the reasons for divorce is the inability of spouses to compromise with changes. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of Horney's psychoanalytical theory based on three personality types of compliance, aggression and detachment on the marital adjustment of women applying for divorce. Method: In this effort, a single subject research of B/A type has been used. The participants were selected from among the women who referred to some counseling centers in Tehran in 2019 as available sampling. After answering the Horney-Coolidge questionnaire, 2 participants were selected for each of Horney's personality types and a total of 6 participants. Then, Spanier's Marital Adjustment Questionnaire was implemented in four stages. Horney's psychoanalytic treatment was performed during 15 to 25 individual sessions of 60 minutes, one to two sessions per week. The data were analyzed after obtaining the stable change index and by calculating the statistically significant change and the recovery percentage formula, and were presented with the standard method of visual drawing. Findings: The percentage of improvement in dyadic satisfaction (41/9), dyadic consensus (46/65), dyadic cohesion (51/76) and affectional expression (127/41) was effective. The most effectiveness has been in the compliance type. A greater increase has been observed in the detachment type compared to the aggression type. Conclusion: These findings showed significant changes in the components of marital adjustment based on Horney's personality types. Therefore, Horney's analytical psychotherapy can be useful for psychologists and couple therapists in preventing divorce by increasing the marital adjustment.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1.  

    1. Worthington Jr EL. Hope-focused marriage counseling: A guide to brief therapy: InterVarsity Press; 2013.
    2. Chen Z, Tanaka N, Uji M, Hiramura H, Shikai N, Fujihara S, et al. The role of personalities in the marital adjustment of Japanese couples. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal. 2007;35(4):561-72.
    3. Sbarra DA, Nietert PJ. Divorce and death: Forty years of the Charleston Heart Study. Psychological science. 2009;20(1):107-13.
    4. Ben-Shlomo Y, Smith GD, Shipley M, Marmot MG. Magnitude and causes of mortality differences between married and unmarried men. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. 1993;47(3):200-5.
    5. Leopold T. Gender differences in the consequences of divorce: A study of multiple outcomes. Demography. 2018;55(3):769-97.
    6. Tullius JM, De Kroon ML, Almansa J, Reijneveld SA. Adolescents’ mental health problems increase after parental divorce, not before, and persist until adulthood: a longitudinal TRAILS study. European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2022;31(6):969-78.
    7. Shimkowski JR, Ledbetter AM. Parental divorce disclosures, young adults’ emotion regulation strategies, and feeling caught. Journal of Family Communication. 2018;18(3):185-201.
    8. Collins SJ. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of mothers' negative experiences and emotions during early motherhood: University of the West of England; 2019.
    9. Alvarez-Monjaras M, Rutherford HJ, Mayes LC. Personality organization and maternal addiction: A structural-developmental psychodynamic contribution. Psychoanalytic Psychology. 2019;36(4):321.
    10. Rossi FS, Holtzworth-Munroe A, Rudd BN. Intimate partner violence and child custody. Parenting plan evaluations: Applied research for the family court. 2016:346-73.
    11. McCray ML. Infidelity, trust, commitment, and marital satisfaction among military wives during husbands' deployment. 2015.
    12. Solomon BC, Jackson JJ. Why do personality traits predict divorce? Multiple pathways through satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2014;106(6):978.
    13. Delelis G, Heuschen M. Dyadic adjustment in couples: How partners' social value within couple and emotional competences predict it. ijpr. 2019;13:340.
    14. Lavner JA, Karney BR, Bradbury TN. Does couples' communication predict marital satisfaction, or does marital satisfaction predict communication? Journal of Marriage and Family. 2016;78(3):680-94.
    15. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Wilson SJ. Lovesick: How couples’ relationships influence health. Annual review of clinical psychology. 2017;13:421.
    16. Moore S, Diener E. Types of subjective well-being and their associations with relationship outcomes. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing. 2019;3(2):112-8.
    17. Falconier MK, Jackson JB, Hilpert P, Bodenmann G. Dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review. 2015;42:28-46.
    18. Çömez İkican T, Coşansu G, Erdoğan G, Küçük L, Özel Bilim İ. The relationship of marital adjustment and sexual satisfaction with depressive symptoms in women. Sexuality and Disability. 2020;38(2):247-60.
    19. Mutlu B, Erkut Z, Yıldırım Z, Gündoğdu N. A review on the relationship between marital adjustment and maternal attachment. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira. 2018;64:243-52.
    20. Mondol J. Marital Adjustment: Extension of psychophysical well-being: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing; 2014.
    21. Aghili SM, Zahedi A. Investigating the relationship between spiritual well-being, optimism, and personality traits of couples. Family Pathology, Counseling and Enrichment Journal. 2020;6(1):1-22.
    22. Lampis J, Cataudella S, Busonera A, Carta S. Personality similarity and romantic relationship adjustment during the couple life cycle. The Family Journal. 2018;26(1):31-9.
    23. Kasalova P, Prasko J, Kantor K, Zatkova M, Holubova M, Sedlackova Z, et al. Personality disorder in marriage and partnership–a narrative review. Neuroendocrinology Letters. 2018;39(3):159-71.
    24. Zakariazadeh Khatir ZK, Fakhri MK, Haydari S. The effectiveness of reality therapy on covert communication aggression and marital tension among women seeking divorce. journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies. 2022;3(1):184-93.
    25. Behnia L, Shirodi SG, Khalatbari J. Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Domestic Physical, Psychological and Sexual Violence in Women on the Verge of Divorce. Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies. 2022;12(1):6-.
    26. Eftekhari Afshar R, Heydari H, Davoodi H. Effects of Cognitive-Existential Therapy on Individual-Social Adjustment and Resilience in Women Exposed to Divorce. Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies. 2022;12(0):14-.
    27. Sadri Damirchi E, Mojarrad A, Matin H. The effectiveness of Resilience training to reduce the risk of divorce and marital discord in Women seeking divorce. Rooyesh-e-Ravanshenasi Journal(RRJ). 2022;11(1):175-84.
    28. Mobashery F, Sanagouye-Moharer GR, Shirazi M. The effectiveness of Ellis emotional rational therapy on psychological well-being, the resilience of women on the verge of divorce in Zahedan. Journal of Research in Behavioural Sciences. 2022;19(4):610-9.
    29. momeni K, azizi s, Mohammad Najjar N, ahmadian a, taghipuor b, serajmohamadi p. Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Instruction in Reducing Marital Burnout and Alexithymia among Couples on the Brink of Divorce. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches. 2021;16(62):18-31.
    30. pourmeidani s, Mehrabizadeh Honarmand M, Hashemi SE, abbaspoor z. Effectiveness of Integrating Systemic, Psychodynamic, and Behavioral Couple Therapy on Couple Monitoring in Maladaptive Couples Referred to Counseling Centers. Knowledge & Research in Applied Psychology. 2022;23(1):1-13.
    31. Coolidge FL, Segal DL, Estey AJ, Spinath FM, Hahn E, Gottschling J. Heritability estimates of Karen Horney’s core neurotic trends in a young adult twin sample. Psychology. 2015;6(15):2013.
    32. Rosowsky E, King KD, Coolidge FL, Rhoades CS, Segal DL. Marital satisfaction and personality traits in long-term marriages: An exploratory study. Clinical Gerontologist. 2012;35(2):77-87.
    33. Mills J. Psychoanalysis & Psychotherapy, Adelphi University; Department of Psychosocial & Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex; Author of Treating Attachment Pathology “Psychoanalysis is not now, and has not been for decades, what many.
    34. Horney k. Neurosis and Human Growth: Behjat; 1950.
    35. Horney K. The new ways in psychoanalysis: Behjat; 1936.
    36. Balali Dehkordi N, Fatehizade M. Comparison of the effectiveness of Emotion-focused Therapy and Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy on marital adjustment of married women with experience of complex childhood trauma. Counseling Culture and Psycotherapy. 2022;13(51):31-57.
    37. Ahmadi S, Azadfallah P, Farahani H. The effect of CCRT based Brief Psychodynamic Psychotherapy on marital satisfaction. Journal of Family Research. 2018;14(4):497-514.
    38. Mobassem S, Delavar A, Karami A, Sana, amp, #039, et al. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy in Decreasing Marital Conflict in Women. Clinical Psychology Studies. 2012;3(9):81-102.
    39. Kang HK, John D, Bisht B, Kaur M, Alexis O, Worsley A. PROTOCOL: Effectiveness of interpersonal psychotherapy in comparison to other psychological and pharmacological interventions for reducing depressive symptoms in women diagnosed with postpartum depression in low and middle‐income countries: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2020;16(1):e1074.
    40. Ghasemi M, Mohsen Zadeh F, Tajik Esmaeili A. The Effectiveness of Adlerian Marriage Therapy on Marital Incompatibility: A Case Study in Tehran. Family Counseling and Psychotherapy. 2020;10(1):91-124.
    41. Feizabadi Z, Makvand Hosseini S, Sabahi P, Rafieinia P. Comparison of the effectiveness of Karen Horney's psychoanalysis and cognitive therapy on communication patterns of neurotic married women. Family Counseling and Psychotherapy. 2020;9(2):123-44.
    42. Horney K. The neourotic personality of our time: Behjat; 1937.
    43. Lane JD, Gast DL. Visual analysis in single case experimental design studies: Brief review and guidelines. Neuropsychological rehabilitation. 2014;24(3-4):445-63.
    44. Spanier GBJJoM, Family t. Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. 1976:15-28.
    45. zaeri amirany m, Pourshahriari MS, Beh-pajooh A. The Impact of Humor Training on Marital Adjustment and Psychological Well-being in Female Teachers in Ardestsn City. Journal of Psychological Studies. 2016;12(1):85-106.
    46. Valipoursheikhi Z, Mirederikvand F. The Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Instruction on Increasing of Marital Adjustment in Couples with Marital Conflict. Journal of Nursing Education. 2019;7(1):75-81.
    47. Hollist CS, Miller RB. Perceptions of attachment style and marital quality in midlife marriage. Family Relations. 2005;54(1):46-57.
    48. Mollazadeh JJTMU. Relationship between marital adjustment and personality factors and coping styles in control children. 2002.
    49. Mousavi Moghadam SA, Bairami M, Bakhshipour A, HamidPour HJCPS. The Efficacy of Metacognitive Therapy on Reduction of Pathological Symptoms and Trait Anxiety Intensity in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. 2017;7(27):23-45.
    50. Balfour A, Lanman M. An evaluation of time‐limited psychodynamic psychotherapy for couples: A pilot study. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. 2012;85(3):292-309.
    51. Carlson SE, Smith TW, Parkhurst KA, Tinajero R, Grove JL, Goans C, et al. Moving Toward, Moving Against, and Moving Away: An Interpersonal Approach to Construct Validation of the Horney–Coolidge Type Inventory. Journal of Personality Assessment. 2022;104(5):650-9.

    52. Singh D. Marital Adjustment and Stress among Working and Non-Working Married Women. 2020

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 January 2023
  • Revise Date: 03 December 2023
  • Accept Date: 04 December 2023
  • First Publish Date: 04 December 2023
  • Publish Date: 22 June 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics