Use of Assessments in the Process of
Actualizing and Marriage Therapy
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Self-actualization may be seen as an expression of fulfillment in two basic contexts: intrapersonal and interpersonal (Shostrom, Knapp, & Knapp, 1976). Some of the tools that can help in the counseling process are the assessments provided within the Actualizing Assessment Battery. The assessments that are part of this battery are the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) (Shostrom, 1964) which measures the intrapersonal aspects of self-actualization, and the Caring Relationship Inventory (CRI) (Shostrom, 1966) and the Pair Attraction Inventory (PAI) (Shostrom, 1970) which both measure interpersonal aspects. The advantage of using these assessments is that they can streamline the counseling process. These assessments help the therapist eliminate some of the time consuming interview process to allow for more time to be spent on therapy rather than information gathering. This article contains a brief description of these three instruments along with suggestions for their use in marital counseling. A more detailed description of each assessment may be found in their respective manuals.
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POI
The POI, when used in a clinical setting, provides an objective measure of the client’s level of self-actualization. It consists of 150 paired choice items that reflect significant value judgements as seen by therapists in practice. There are two major scales on the POI. The Inner Directedness scale measures the balance between Inner and Other Directedness. The Time Competence scale measures the degree to which the client is present oriented as contrasted with Time Incompetence, which indicates that the client lives in the past with regrets and uncertainty, or in the future with idealized goals and fears. There are ten other scales on the POI which are listed in Figure 3.
CRI and PAI
Used in marriage counseling in conjunction with the POI are the interpersonal measures of the CRI and the PAI. These two assessments help clarify in an objective manner, the relationship between a man and a woman.
The CRI consists of 83 items and responses are made as to either true or false, first as applied to the other member of the couple and then based on the ideal mate. There is a separate form for both males and females and the scales are listed in Figure 4.
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Figure 3. POI Scale descriptions.
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Figure 4. CRI Scale descriptions.
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The CRI is a useful counseling tool in the discussion of the “ideal” mate as compared to “other” mate scores on the scales.
The PAI was developed to examine the nature of the attraction between couples. It has been theorized that couples are attracted because of complementary needs, i.e. it is the differences that attract couples with each partner complementing the differences perceived in the other; however, yet another view is that couples are attracted because of the symmetry of interests and personality.
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The PAI examines both of these types of attractions and may be used as a basis of therapy. The theory underlying the PAI is that there are six basic kinds of unconscious mate choices which are described in Figure 5.
The use of all three of these assessments can be extremely helpful in marital counseling. Although the assessments are not highly related theoretically there are relationships that are predicted in theory.
For example, high intrapersonal self-actualization does not insure high interpersonal relationships. However, when comparing the POI to the CRI, the Self-Love scale of the CRI is most highly related to more of the POI scales than any other scale, leading the author to conclude “Before a person can love another he must first love himself,” (Shostrom, 1975, p. 13). The use of the PAI to complete the battery illuminates the type of relationship between partners. In marriage therapy once the clients have measured their intrapersonal or measure of self, they are ready to examine their ideal versus other relationships through the CRI. Finally the last step is the specific understanding of their own relationship.
Complete examples of the POI, CRI and PAI uses may be found in their respective manuals or in more detail in the book Actualizing Therapy (Shostrom, Knapp, and Knapp, 1976). In the application of these three assessments in marital counseling, therapists report that the information provided saved hours of therapy, that the report was direct and unequivocal, it reduced confusion felt by the client, and provided specific information enabling the client to trust the profiles. The therapists interviewed concluded that the assessments were very useful and would be valuable for their future use.
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References
Shostrom, E. (1964). Personal Orientation Inventory. San Diego, CA: EdITS.
Shostrom, E. (1966) Caring Relationship Inventory. San Diego, CA: EdITS.
Shostrom, E. (1970). Pair Attraction Inventory. San Diego, CA: EdITS.
Shostrom, E., Knapp, L., & Knapp, R. (1976). Actualizing Therapy. San Diego, CA: EdITS.
EdITS / P.O. Box 7234 / San Diego, CA 92167 / 800-416-1666 / 619-222-1666 / Fax 619-226-1666 customerservice@edits.net.
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