The Effectiveness of Self-Differentiation Treatment on Egocentrism and Marital Adjustment in Couples Based on Bowen’s Family Systems Theory

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