Structural Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Self-differentiation with the Stability of Marriage Through the Mediation of Intimacy

Based on the Bowen family systems, the degree of self-differentiation can determine the quality of marital relations and its stability. Meanwhile, the recognition and management of one's own and spouse's emotions plays an essential role in this stability, and intimacy also plays a role especially in the stability of marriage. The purpose of the research is to determine the relationship between the two variables of emotional intelligence and self-differentiation with the stability of marriage through the mediation of intimacy. This research is descriptive and correlational. The statistical population consisted of married couples who referred to counseling centers in Tehran's 2nd and 5th regions, and 345 men and women were selected to participate in the research by convenience sampling. Individuals completed Edwards, Johnson and Booth's (1980) marriage instability index questionnaires, Graves and Bradbury's (2005) emotional intelligence, Skorn and Friedlander's (2003) self-differentiation, and Walker and Thompson's (1983) intimacy scale. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used in the statistical analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis were used to fit the model. The findings showed the path coefficient of total emotional intelligence with marital stability (p<0.01, β=0.609) and self-differentiation with marital stability (p<0.05, β=0.226) and intimacy with marital stability. (p<0.01, β=0.451) was positive and significant. Finally, the indirect path coefficient of emotional intelligence and marriage stability (p<0.01, β=0.288) and the indirect path coefficient of self-differentiation and marriage stability (p<0.05, β=0.082) are positive and significant. Therefore, we can acknowledge the mediating role of intimacy between self-differentiation and emotional intelligence with marriage stability. Self-differentiation, emotional intelligence and intimacy explain a total of 49% of the variance of marriage stability. In this regard, it is recommended to hold educational workshops to recognize and promote emotional intelligence, differentiation, intimacy and its components for the stability of marriage.