The Effectiveness of Choice Theory by Grouping Method on Increasing Self-Differentiation and Intimacy of Married Students

Marriage and choice of spouse is one of the most important events of human life which affect not only the physical but also mental health of the individual. It is certain that any problem that arises in the family, the losses will concern the total structure and cultural value system of the society. Unfortunately, young couples do not allocate particular time and energy to preparedness to establish relationship and consequently experience the considerable amount of conflict in early years of marital life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of choice theory education on increasing self-differentiation and intimacy in married couples. In thisinterventional study, 30 married couples of students (n=60) were selected and allocated randomly to case (15 couples) and control (15 couples) groups. Differentiation of Self-Inventory (DSI) and Marital Intimacy (MIQ) questionnaires were completed by students. The control group received no training. Intervention included 10 sessions of choice theory education. results showed that choice theory education by grouping method is effective in increasing the self-differentiation of married students, in which the mean score of self-differentiation in case group increased from 170.2±19.2 to 191.8±10.1. Also, the effect of intervention on increasing the couples’ marital intimacy was not significant. Result of this research confirmed the effectiveness of choice theory education in increasing the self- differentiation, so regarding the cultural and social transition and also the increasing need of incipient married youth, it is recommended that education of these skills will be concerned in the academic and training centers.