The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a program based on transactional analysis and group art therapy in improving the intimacy and communication between spouses. The program was developed based on transactional analysis and group a...
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a program based on transactional analysis and group art therapy in improving the intimacy and communication between spouses. The program was developed based on transactional analysis and group art therapy was used to conduct the program. Twenty four student counseling volunteers in the cities G and S participated in the study. The eight volunteers in the city G who signed up for the program were assigned to the experimental group, the eight volunteers in the city S who signed up for the program to the comparison group, and the eight volunteers in the city G who did not sign up for the program to the control group. The experimental group received transactional analysis-group art therapy treatment, the comparison received transactional analysis group counseling treatment, and the control group received no treatment. The program consisted of nine sessions, each session two hours long, three times a day. The session was conducted for three days in a row. A pre, post, and follow-up test were conducted on the three groups: experimental, comparison, and control to investigate the intimacy and communication between spouses.
The findings of the study are as follows. First, transactional analysis-group art therapy was effective in improving the intimacy between spouses. Transactional group counseling analysis was effective in raising emotional intimacy, but it’s effect did not last long. Transactional analysis-group art therapy raised cognitive, emotional, and sexual intimacy between spouses.
Second, transactional analysis-group art therapy improved communication between spouses and it’s effect lasted. Transactional group counseling analysis did not raise communication between spouses.
Third, both transactional analysis group counseling and transactional analysis-group art therapy improved the intimacy and communication between spouses. The spouses came to think of each other positively, showing efforts to understand each other and to accommodate the needs of each other, which boosted the spousal intimacy. The spouses showed more interest in each other when conversing each other and communicated positively and willingly about their needs. Additionally, an improvement of communication with their children was also found in the study.
The findings of the study show that both transactional analysis group counseling and transactional analysis-group art therapy made a positive effect on spousal relationship, and the positive effect was greater with transactional analysis-group art therapy. The significance of this study is that transactional analysis and group art therapy were combined together first time to see a possibility of using them together in the field of spousal relationship enhancement.