Conflict in marital relationships affects couple intimacy and satisfaction impacting on
the couple system, the family system and wider social systems. Negative conflict is
associated with breakdown in intimacy, marital dissatisfaction, and is seen to be a
prominent cause of marital failure. As conflict is a process, it has the possibility of
change and development over time, including moving towards a process whereby
disagreements can be worked out with mutually acceptable solutions.
Theoretical frameworks for conflict and marital counselling were reviewed and the
systems-interactionist theory and a systemic-based counselling approach chosen for the
purposes of this study. It was hypothesised that a systemic-based counselling approach
would lower the levels of conflict occurring within a marital relationship. The principal
objective of this study was to provide a more rigorous investigation than previous
studies of client perceptions of the effectiveness of a systems-based counselling
approach for marital counselling.
Three case studies were conducted, with embedded units of analysis, within the context
of a therapeutic process which drew on current theories of systemic counselling.
Conflict was measured and operationalised as overt behavioural conflict,
communication of negative affect, frequency of disagreements, intensity of
disagreements, desire to change the other partner, the desire for change, and evidence of,
and frequency of, positive conflict.
As the study was based on the client's perceptions of change, multi-methods of selfreports
were employed. As none of the known measurements met the needs of this
study, a questionnaire known as the QCR was devised specifically for the pre- and posttests.
The QCR was designed to measure: any increase or decrease in positive conflict;
changes to both the intensity and frequency in negative conflict; and perceptions of the
desire for change.
The effectiveness of the counselling approach was measured by comparing the results of
the pre-and post-tests with the continual self-reports and the self-reports at the long term
follow-up interviews. An analysis of the self-reports focus on: the desire for change; the
effectiveness of a systems based counselling approach in lowering negative conflict; and
the usefulness of the QCR and other tools as measures.
The systems-based-counselling approach, proved from the clients' perspective, to be:
highly effective in case one; mostly effective in case two; and ineffective in case three as
one partner aborted the counselling process. The systems-based-counselling approach
had variable success in decreasing the intensity of negative conflict but was mostly
successful in decreasing the frequency of negative conflict. This approach was not
largely successful in reporting an increase in the frequency of positive conflict.
The study revealed evidence of a relationship between commitment to the marital
relationship and negative conflict. It also adds to the debate about the appropriateness
of a systems-based counselling approach in violent relationships.
In judging the clients' perceptions of the effectiveness of the systems-based counselling
approach multi-measurements employed including the lengthy recording of the
therapeutic sessions. It is claimed that this thesis offers a more rigorous methodology
than anecdotal evidence previously used in the reporting of systemic counselling cases.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219364 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Stuart-Smith, Trish, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Professional & Community Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Trish Stuart-Smith |
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