Assessing the Fruitfulness of Defense Analysis in brief Focal Psychotherapy in the Intervention of Marital Therapy

Abstract

The psychoanalytical approach in the couple patients becomes significant when the psychological parameters causing sufferings are unconscious. The technique, analysis of defense mechanisms is proven useful in understanding the unconscious roots of marital disturbances in gaining insight into problems. Thus the study objective focuses on analysis and interpretation of defenses, to find out the fruitfulness of defense analysis. This is a case study research design used for analyzing defense mechanisms used by patients in situational aspects of their life discussed in the clinical interview to find unconscious roots disturbing their marriage. Universal sampling was used for sample selection from Nitte psychiatry center, private patients and couples attended camps from 2007 to 2014. The intervention provided was brief focal psychotherapy, defense analysis and its interpretation was used as a tool for gaining insight into problems faced by the subjects in their marriage. There was high prevalence among patient couples who had unconscious roots in their past causing disturbances in their marriage. Of the 100 sample couples only 40 patient couple indicative for defense analysis and other 60 were excluded. Defense used by patient couple was interpreted to gain insight into problem behaviours thus improved interpersonal relationships among the marital couple. End of the intervention they were rated on 3 point scale measuring satisfaction levels that evaluate therapeutic success. More than 50% of sample population found to be highly satisfied and none of them spelt dissatisfaction. The collected data were presented with frequency and parentages, statistically analyzed by using Chi-square with Yates's correction test for association. The statistical software used is SPSS 20.00 version. The statistical significance was set at 5% level of significance (p<0.05).The present study has proven the hypothetical view that deeply rooted unconscious causes of marital disturbances among the patient couple shown its interventional success and fruitfulness of defense analysis.