Chinese Adults Self-differentiation And The Quality Of Marriage Relations

Research Aims:this study amends the Chinese version of the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI-C) with Chinese adult sample, using which explores the relation between differentiation and marital quality and tests the Bowen's related hypotheses, in order to develop an effective measuring tool for future study and practical application, and introduce self-differentiation theory to marriage counseling and marital study so that enrich the theory and therapy of marriage counseling in china.Research Methods:Study 1:Amending the Chinese version of DSIThe researcher gets a valid sample of 384 adults by convenience sampling, and subsequently translates and revises the Differentiation of Self Inventory Revised (DSI-R) made by Skowron and Schmitt (2003), of which the reliability and validity are good, in order to develop an effective measuring tool of differentiation of self in Chinese culture. We analyze the individual effect factors of the development of differentiation of self of adult using DSI-C, and verify the criterion validity of DSI-C using Chinese version of Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory (ECR) revised by Li Tonggui and Kato Kazuo (2003).Study2:The investigation of relation between differentiation and marital qualityThis investigation is conducted in the combination of questionnaire and experiment. After getting 156 pairs of Chinese spouse by convenience sampling, we study the relation between these two variables using DSI-C and Olson Marital Quality Questionnaire (ENRICH) and test the related hypotheses. We select 6 pairs of couples from 156 pairs in special criterion, and give each pair of selected spouse three-time Bowen family systems therapy, and each time is 1.5 hours. The results of two scales are compared before and after treatment, and do case study for two couples in order to verify the role of differentiation of self in promoting marital quality.Research Results:(1) The DSI-C made up of 36 items has good reliability and validity, which includes four subscales that are Emotional Reaction(ER), Emotional Cutoff (EC),Ⅰ-Position (IP), and Fusion with Others (FO).(2) The total DSI-C has significant difference in marital status; the scores of IP and EC have significant differences in education; the score of FO has significant positive correlation with age.(3) There is significant difference between couple in the score of DSI-C, ER and FO, and no significant difference in the score of IP and EC. The score difference of real couple is lower than that of assumed couple in IP, and not lower in EC.(4) FO has negative predictive effect on the male total marital quality and two dimensions of children & marriage and sexual life, as well as on female sexual life. Apart from the special case above, differentiation of self has positive predictive effect on marital quality.(5) The dimensions of differentiation of self that affect marital quality are different between male and female, and the influence of self-differentiation of female on marital quality is bigger than that of male.(6) The spouse whose levels of differentiation of self are all high has best marital quality, in contrast the all low has worst marital quality. The difference between the spouse whose husband has high level and wife has low level and the spouse whose husband has low level and wife has high level is insignificant in most aspects of marital quality.(7) All scores of self-differentiation, marital quality and common marital quality of couples become higher after Bowen's family systems therapy; all psychometric results and self-reports indicate that the scores of self-differentiation and marital quality of the couple in case study become higher.Research Conclusion:The DSI-C meets the requirements of psychometrics and can be applied to the measuring and studying of differentiation of self of adult; All gender, marital status, age and education are effect factors of the development of self-differentiation of adult; people will select lover who has similar level in IP but not in the total DSI-C or other dimensions of self-differentiation; differentiation of self has positive predictive effect on marital quality on the whole; there is gender difference in the influence of self-differentiation on marital quality; the couples in which husband and wife has different differentiation levels have different marital quality.