Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD student in Psychology, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Psychology, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30473/sc.2025.72792.3027
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the differences in the effectiveness of Imago Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on psychological flexibility and cognitive empowerment in women affected by marital infidelity. The research population included all women affected by extramarital relationships in Isfahan (including the Nik Ovin Psychological Clinic and the Hazrat Abolfazl Charity Institute) in the spring of 2024. A group of women affected by extramarital relationships were randomly assigned into three groups (two experimental groups and one control group) of 15 participants each. They were assessed using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) by Dennis and Vander Wal (2010) and the Psychological Empowerment (PE) scale by Spreitzer and Mishra (1996). Data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA with SPSS version 23. The results showed that both Imago Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy significantly increased psychological flexibility and cognitive empowerment, and there was no significant difference in effectiveness between these two therapeutic approaches (P < 0.05). The findings also indicated that the therapeutic effects were stable over time. Therefore, it can be concluded that Imago Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy can be effective approaches for improving the well-being of women affected by infidelity and play an important role in enhancing their quality of life.
Keywords
- Cognitive Flexibility
- Emotion-Focused Therapy
- Imago Therapy
- Marital Infidelity
- Psychological Empowerment
Main Subjects
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