Does it matter whether we or I talk about us? Distinguishing we-talk in couples’ conflict discussions and partners’ private thoughts before and after conflict

According to extensive evidence, we-talk—couples’ use of first-person, plural pronouns—predicts better relationship quality and well-being. However, prior work has not distinguished we-talk by its context, which varies widely across studies. Also, little is known about we-talk’s consistency over time. To assess the stability and correlates of we-talk in private versus conversational contexts, 43 married couples’ language was captured during a marital problem discussion and in each partner’s privately recorded thoughts before and after conflict. Participants were asked to describe any current thoughts and feelings in the baseline thought-listing and to focus on their reaction to the conflict itself in the post-conflict sample. Couples repeated this protocol at a second study visit, approximately 1 month later. We-talk in baseline and post-conflict thought-listings was largely uncorrelated with we-talk during conflict discussions, but each form of we-talk was consistent between the two study visits. Their correlates were also distinct: more we-talk during conflict was associated with less hostility during conflict, whereas more baseline we-talk predicted greater closeness in both partners, as well as lower vocally encoded arousal and more positive emotion word use in partners after conflict. These novel data reveal that we-talk can be meaningfully distinguished by its context—whether language is sampled from private thoughts or marital discussions, and whether the study procedure requests relationship talk. Taken together, these variants of we-talk may have unique implications for relationship function and well-being.

Effectiveness of Self-differentiation Training Based on Bowen’s Approach on Positive Feeling Towards Spouse in Married Women in Isfahan in 2019

Introduction: As self-differentiation is a process that reflects one’s independence in the emotional and rational dimension, in which one learns to make independent decisions and to have a rational love, affection, and intimacy. This research aimed to study the effectiveness of self-differentiation training based on Bowen’s approach on positive feelings toward spouse in Married women in Isfahan. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design conducted on the control group. The statistical population consisted of counseling applicant women in the city of Isfahan in 2019. Sampling was voluntary. The announcement was installed at counseling centers, and 30 women were randomly placed into control and experiment groups. All participants filled out demographic and Positive Feeling (PFQ) questionnaires. Then, participants of the experiment group were trained in Bowen’s self-differentiation in eight sessions. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive (Mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistical methods (analysis of covariance) at the error level of 0.05 and SPSS-24 software. Results: The results indicated that teaching Bowen’s self-differentiation significantly affected women’s positive feelings towards the spouse (p<0.05), which means that the differentiation training increases the positive feeling towards the spouse. Conclusion: According to the results, teaching Bowen’s self-differentiation can increase positive feelings towards spouses in women. Therefore, this technique can be considered a marital problem.

FUNERAL MATERIALISM AND THE EXOGENEOUS CHANGE AMONG THE URHOBO PEOPLE

This paper aimed at examining the financial involvement and exogenous changes associated with funeral ceremonies among the Urhobo people in recent time. It argues that over a period of time, from the era of colonialism in Nigeria, social change factors and processes such as urbanization, modernization and globalization have introduced continuous changes in the Nigerian culture of which the Urhobo culture as regards to funeral ceremony have greatly been affected. This paper observed that, due to response to new technology, innovative ideas and evolving values from home and abroad, special traditional passage rite for the dead have given way to mega parties for celebrations and show of affluence to friends and social clubs members. It is now difficult to see the tears of children and family members at interment venue rather, they are more concerned about entertaining their friends and associates in reception venues. Some problems generated by this modern trend are highlighted by this write up as; financial crises, stress and ill health, marital problem/divorce, drunkenness and high crime rate among others. This paper therefore concludes that this trend is posing serious threat to the unity, economic growth and development of the Urhobo Nation. It recommends among others, that Urhobo People should be re-socialized properly to imbibe the traditions and values of their culture.

THE PROCESS AND IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE COUNSELLING FOR MARRIED COUPLES: AN OVERVIEW

The aim of this study is to discuss the process and importance of marriage counselling for married couples. The use of marriage counselling were greater for persons with a positive attitude toward seeking marriage counselling and those who had previous marriage counselling. However, those having a supportive subjective norm were more likely to seek marriage counselling is the persons with no history of marriage counselling. Similarities and differences between males and females for the type of marital problem that might lead to marriage counselling and the implications for counsellors are presented. This study also determines the use of inquiry method in the counselling and counselling theories approaches. The research examined descriptive level specific problem areas for which an individual might pursue marriage counselling and how these varied by gender. Besides that, more general indices because it specifically targets beliefs about marriage be more strongly correlated to relationship variables (e.g., marital satisfaction) than have measures of generalized expectancies. KEYWORDS : Importance, Marriage Counselling, Process, Behaviour, Attitude, Sex Differences

Pride’s “This Bed’s Not Big Enough”: Struggle for marital true love

The current study was aimed at investigating the struggle of Charley Pride through his song lyric entitled “This Bed’s Not Big Enough” employing a mixed approach of literary and systemic-functional perspectives to save his marriage in an alternative. The marital problem may go even worst when the memories linger in bed, calling his or her ex’s name on sexual encounters. This really hurts, and may or may not end in a divorce depending on the wife's decision. Upon completion of systemic functional linguistic analysis to construe the meaning of the song, it turns out that the song lyric managed to create a discursive practice that most people would experience when encountered in the same situational context. The solution varies from one individual to another pertinent to one's social and educational background. Therefore, to further confirm the research findings, a supplementary survey to twenty male colleagues (husbands) was conducted to reveal their attitude- moral values and judgments on both implicit and explicit intentions of the song, to extrinsically relate them to a social and religious domain (value). The findings show that alternative solutions differ from one individual to another depending on social, educational and religious backgrounds.

A Comparative Study of Marital, Social And Economic Barriers Faced By The Married Couples With And Without Disabilities

This research study was carried out to compare the marital, social and economic barriers faced by the married couples with and without disabilities. Women and men with disabilities have different life experiences due to biological, psychological, economic, social, political and cultural attributes. These gender differences are reflected in the life experiences of men and women with disabilities. Causal comparative method was used to explore and compare the marital problems of persons with and without disabilities. All the special need and normal parents of special students in special education centres in six districts in Gujranwala Division were the population for this study. Stratified sampling technique was used to select a sample of 252 persons, who were placed equally (126 persons) in two groups; persons with disabilities and persons without disabilities. A questionnaire containing 31 items into three sections (i) Marital Problem Questionnaire (MPQ), (ii) Social Problem Questionnaire (SPQ) & (iii) Economic Problem Questionnaire (EPQ) was developed to collect the data. The questionnaire yielded a reliability value of .80. T-test, ANOVA and regression were applied to draw the results. The comparative analysis showed significant difference between social problems of disable and non-disable males but there is no distinction of ability and disability in social problems of women. The study concludes that couples with and without disabilities have great difference in their life style and disability creates hurdles in their way to live a better life. Social and economic barriers increase the problems of marital life of couples with special needs.

Painful intercourse. Dyspareunia and Vaginismus

Dyspareunia and Vaginismus are two clinical forms of painful sexual intercourses, affecting mostly the premenopausal women with vaginal atrophy, and young 18-24 years old women. The symptoms may be caused by medical and gynaecological problems. The unpleasant intercourse has got a huge impact on the partner and the quality of marriage. Some women accuse themselves; some are aggressed, and their partner develop sexual aversion, anxiety, shame, depression, hostility, anger. The understanding partner is opened to communication and supports the healing process. Psychotherapy is needed for both partners, with clearly defined objectives which informs the couple that complete remission is very difficult to obtain. Women who suffer of dyspareunia have an increased sensitivity to pain. In the case of dyspareunia caused by medical conditions, healing consists of relaxation methods, exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and variation of sexual life „temperature” of the relationship, involving the partner in the therapy too. The client needs to feel that she is beautiful, attractive. She needs to maintain a permanent dialog with the partner. This is an important marital problem and therapists need to respect the values of the family involved. For the future it is important to help women and couples (classical, homosexual, disabled) to cure painful sexual intercourse and improve their intimacy.

An Analysis of 100 Muslim Email Counseling Clients

This chapter analyzes 100 of the author's Muslim clients to learn about their most common problems, demographic information, number of emails typically exchanged, and number of resolved and unresolved cases. The most common problems were marital, family (non-marital) issues, depression symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Eighty-four percent of clients were women and 16% were men. Most clients were from either the Indian subcontinent or North America and were in their twenties. The average number of email exchanges (a single client's email and the author's therapeutic response) was six. Of the 100 clients, 36 cases were resolved, 57 cases were unresolved, and 7 cases are ongoing. The main type of marital problem faced was infidelity (physical and non-physical). Islam-informed cognitive behavioral techniques, as well as relevant Islamic teachings to use in therapy, are recommended and explained. An overall finding is that global Muslim clients seek online counseling for mostly relationship problems.

If He Is in Shape, So Is the Marriage: Perceptions of Physical Fitness and Exercise and Older Couples’ Marital Functioning

The current study explored concordance in spouses’ perceptions about exercise and how these perceptions predicted observed and self-reported marital functioning using a sample of 64 older married couples. Although couples were similarly motivated to exercise, their views on their physical fitness and potential barriers to exercise were uncorrelated. Dyadic analyses suggested that spouses’ exercise perceptions, particularly husbands’, were associated with how spouses treated each other during a marital problem-solving task and with their concurrent and future marital satisfaction. Exploring how spouses’ views of exercise are related to their marital functioning and for whom these links are most salient may highlight potential opportunities and challenges for those wishing to strengthen couples’ individual and relational well-being through exercise.