The Effectiveness of Anger Management Group Training based on Cognitive Restructuring on Increasing Students’ Social Intimacy in Shiraz
South Journals Publication (SJP)
(Online Publication)
http://www.southjournals.com
South Journal of Educational Psychology and Counseling
http://southjournals.com/ojs-2.4.5/index.php/sjepc
The Effectiveness of Anger Management Group Training based on
Cognitive Restructuring on Increasing Students’ Social Intimacy in
Shiraz
Sajad Farhadi *1, Masoud Alikhani2
1
2
(M.A Student of School Counseling, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Iran)
(Ph.D. Student of Clinical Psychology, Azad University,Shiraz Branch,Shiraz, Iran)
*Corresponding author: Sajad Farhadi
Abstract: In line with necessity of training "the emotional management" skills, the
present study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of group counseling for anger
management based on cognitive restructuring on increasing social intimacy among
male secondary school students in Shiraz. A quasi-experimental method study with
pretest and posttest design and control group was used. Spielberger questionnaire, as a
screening tool, was conducted on 112 high school students. People who got the
highest scores on this test were defined as the target group and among them 20
students were selected and randomly divided into two experimental and control
groups. Then anger management training package based on cognitive-behavioral
approach was trained to the experimental group in 12 sessions and 90 minutes per
each session. In addition to the 57-item Spielberger questionnaire (Staxi-2), a 17-item
questionnaire for management of social intimacy (MSI) was conducted on two groups
before and after the sessions. To describe the data, mean, variance and standard
deviation were used. Covariance was used to analyze the data. The results showed that
group counseling for anger management based on cognitive restructuring did not
increase the social intimacy in students.
Keywords: group
social intimacy
counseling,
anger
management,
cognitive
restructuring,
To cite this paper: farhadi, S., Alikhani, M. (2017). The Effectiveness of Anger Management Group Training
based on Cognitive Restructuring on Increasing Students’ Social Intimacy in Shiraz. South journal of Educational
Psychology and Counseling, 4, 1, 78-84.
78
Introduction
Violence and aggression, at different levels and aspects, is considered as a huge and
global problem and the source of many crimes, deviations and even wars should be
sought in this matter. At a glance, the cause of moral decline and spiritual silence of
many individuals, groups and societies is violence and aggression, and war, murder,
destruction, violence and assaults are examples of this behavior. During recent
decades, violence and aggression have dramatically increased. Some researchers
believe the main reason for increase in the rates of aggressive behavior and violence is
the increase of poverty. Others refer to the remarkable role of the mass
media. According to these researchers, the media, especially television, are important
factors to increase aggressive behaviors. But most complete view on aggression refers
to the effects of biological, learning and cognitive factors. This method is a
combinational treatment, which typically combines exposure with cognitive
restructuring. In fact, it changes the cognitive rules that disrupt the behavior (Sadock
and Sadock, 2005).
On the other hand, it can be stated that social intimacy is an important feature of
interpersonal relationships and affects on the rate of violence and aggression. Ericsson
knew intimacy tasks in transition from adolescence to adulthood stage as a key factor
(Daneshvarpour et al., 2007). Burke believed that intimacy can be seen in close
interpersonal relations like relation with parents, close friends and spouse
(Daneshvarpour, 2006). In addition, a sign of having the ability to intimacy is the
desire to participate in the close, warm, communicative and committing interactions
which have an essential role in the successful and fruitful life of an adult
(Daneshvarpour et al., 2007).
Social intimacy is tendency of an individual to participate in a supportive and loving
relation without losing the self in that regard (Ericsson, 1975). Adolescents with low
anger are more prepared for intimate social relationships. In such
circumstances, cognitive-behavioral approach deals with promotion of social
behaviors, increase of intimacy and positive relationship with the person by training
the coping methods, internal dialogue, and problem-solving strategies (Kolko and
Swenson, 2002). A research which shows that anger management group counseling
based on cognitive restructuring increases social intimacy was not found in literature
and the present research in this area is an innovation.
In this regard, what seems important is that anger management treatment should be
performed as a group therapy. The number of participants in the group ideally is eight
people, but the number of the group can range from 5 to 10 people. This is for several
reasons. First, there are substantial experimental interventions about group cognitivebehavioral intervention (Carroll, Rounsaville and Gawin, 1991; Mau de Griffin et al.,
1998; Smokowski and Wodarski, 1996). Secondly, group therapy is effective and the
cost is affordable (Hoyt, 1993; Piper, and Joyce, 1996), and thirdly, group therapy
provides a wider range of flexibility in the role-play (Yalom, 1995) and behavioral
training activities (Heimberg and Juster, 1994; Juster and Heimberg, 1995).
According to the above interpretations, the present study was done to answer the
question “whether group training for anger management based on cognitive
restructuring is effective on increasing intimacy or not”.
Research Method
In this study, a semi-experimental method was used in which an experimental and a
control group participated. The study population consisted of male high
school students of Shahid Beheshti High School in the city of Shiraz that were totally
79
112 students that all of them participated in Spielberger aggression test and the
students whose test scores were 52 percent or higher were selected and then among
them 18 individuals were randomly selected and assigned to control and experimental
groups (9 subjects per each group).
Research Tools
Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2): The 57-item
STAXI-2 questionnaire consists of three parts and 57 items, which its first part
measures the state anger, the second part measures the anger trait and the third part
measures the way of anger expression and control. Each item of the questionnaire is
measured using a 4-point Likert scale; the completion of the questionnaire lasts about
12 to 15 minutes. The information summarized in the test practical guide shows that
alpha coefficients for scales and subscales of the state of anger (S.Ang) and the trait of
anger (T.Ang) equal to 0.84 or higher (on average, r=0.88), and for the scales stating
the expression of anger (AX-I, AX-O), control of anger (AC.I, AC.O) and the overall
index of anger expression (AX Index) equal to 0.73 or higher (on average, r=0.82).
Therefore, Cronbach's alpha coefficient as a measure of internal consistency,
generally, is satisfactory for various components of STAXI-2, and gender and illness
of the subjects do not have a significant effect on alpha coefficients.
Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSI): This scale was designed by Miller and Lefcourt
to assess intimacy received from different relationships. The items of the scale were
developed using the organized interviews in which participants discussed the role of
intimacy in all their relationships, including relationships with friends, family and
members of their family. The scale includes two categories of items that one of which
includes 6 items assigned to psychological intimacy description and another including
11 items assigned to description of the experienced intimacy at the present time. All
items will be answered on a 10-point Likert scale. Items 2 and 14 are answered
reversely and the rest of the items are scored based on a 10-point scale (1=very
rarely/low to 10=almost always/high). Miller and Lefcourt (1982) reported
Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of various performances equal to 0.86 to
0.91. Cronbach's alpha coefficient in a pilot study on a sample of 330 people,
including 166 males and 164 females, was obtained equal to 0.76. Since there was not
available a research which have been done in Iran in the field of measuring intimacy,
to prepare the social intimacy scale, the English version of the questionnaire was
translated into Persian, and then the two English language experts were asked to retranslate it to English. The differences between the English versions were assessed
and the differences were reduced to the lowest level through an iterative review
process. Hence, the semantic proximity of the two Persian and English versions was
studied. Then, several faculty members confirmed content validity and the cultural
harmony of questionnaire (Daneshvarpour et al., 2007). Miller and Lefcourt reported
the reliability of the questionnaire equal to 0.84 through test-retest with more than
two-month interval, and equal to 0.96 with more than one-month interval. Test-retest
reliability, r=0.84 (n=20, P
(Online Publication)
http://www.southjournals.com
South Journal of Educational Psychology and Counseling
http://southjournals.com/ojs-2.4.5/index.php/sjepc
The Effectiveness of Anger Management Group Training based on
Cognitive Restructuring on Increasing Students’ Social Intimacy in
Shiraz
Sajad Farhadi *1, Masoud Alikhani2
1
2
(M.A Student of School Counseling, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Iran)
(Ph.D. Student of Clinical Psychology, Azad University,Shiraz Branch,Shiraz, Iran)
*Corresponding author: Sajad Farhadi
Abstract: In line with necessity of training "the emotional management" skills, the
present study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of group counseling for anger
management based on cognitive restructuring on increasing social intimacy among
male secondary school students in Shiraz. A quasi-experimental method study with
pretest and posttest design and control group was used. Spielberger questionnaire, as a
screening tool, was conducted on 112 high school students. People who got the
highest scores on this test were defined as the target group and among them 20
students were selected and randomly divided into two experimental and control
groups. Then anger management training package based on cognitive-behavioral
approach was trained to the experimental group in 12 sessions and 90 minutes per
each session. In addition to the 57-item Spielberger questionnaire (Staxi-2), a 17-item
questionnaire for management of social intimacy (MSI) was conducted on two groups
before and after the sessions. To describe the data, mean, variance and standard
deviation were used. Covariance was used to analyze the data. The results showed that
group counseling for anger management based on cognitive restructuring did not
increase the social intimacy in students.
Keywords: group
social intimacy
counseling,
anger
management,
cognitive
restructuring,
To cite this paper: farhadi, S., Alikhani, M. (2017). The Effectiveness of Anger Management Group Training
based on Cognitive Restructuring on Increasing Students’ Social Intimacy in Shiraz. South journal of Educational
Psychology and Counseling, 4, 1, 78-84.
78
Introduction
Violence and aggression, at different levels and aspects, is considered as a huge and
global problem and the source of many crimes, deviations and even wars should be
sought in this matter. At a glance, the cause of moral decline and spiritual silence of
many individuals, groups and societies is violence and aggression, and war, murder,
destruction, violence and assaults are examples of this behavior. During recent
decades, violence and aggression have dramatically increased. Some researchers
believe the main reason for increase in the rates of aggressive behavior and violence is
the increase of poverty. Others refer to the remarkable role of the mass
media. According to these researchers, the media, especially television, are important
factors to increase aggressive behaviors. But most complete view on aggression refers
to the effects of biological, learning and cognitive factors. This method is a
combinational treatment, which typically combines exposure with cognitive
restructuring. In fact, it changes the cognitive rules that disrupt the behavior (Sadock
and Sadock, 2005).
On the other hand, it can be stated that social intimacy is an important feature of
interpersonal relationships and affects on the rate of violence and aggression. Ericsson
knew intimacy tasks in transition from adolescence to adulthood stage as a key factor
(Daneshvarpour et al., 2007). Burke believed that intimacy can be seen in close
interpersonal relations like relation with parents, close friends and spouse
(Daneshvarpour, 2006). In addition, a sign of having the ability to intimacy is the
desire to participate in the close, warm, communicative and committing interactions
which have an essential role in the successful and fruitful life of an adult
(Daneshvarpour et al., 2007).
Social intimacy is tendency of an individual to participate in a supportive and loving
relation without losing the self in that regard (Ericsson, 1975). Adolescents with low
anger are more prepared for intimate social relationships. In such
circumstances, cognitive-behavioral approach deals with promotion of social
behaviors, increase of intimacy and positive relationship with the person by training
the coping methods, internal dialogue, and problem-solving strategies (Kolko and
Swenson, 2002). A research which shows that anger management group counseling
based on cognitive restructuring increases social intimacy was not found in literature
and the present research in this area is an innovation.
In this regard, what seems important is that anger management treatment should be
performed as a group therapy. The number of participants in the group ideally is eight
people, but the number of the group can range from 5 to 10 people. This is for several
reasons. First, there are substantial experimental interventions about group cognitivebehavioral intervention (Carroll, Rounsaville and Gawin, 1991; Mau de Griffin et al.,
1998; Smokowski and Wodarski, 1996). Secondly, group therapy is effective and the
cost is affordable (Hoyt, 1993; Piper, and Joyce, 1996), and thirdly, group therapy
provides a wider range of flexibility in the role-play (Yalom, 1995) and behavioral
training activities (Heimberg and Juster, 1994; Juster and Heimberg, 1995).
According to the above interpretations, the present study was done to answer the
question “whether group training for anger management based on cognitive
restructuring is effective on increasing intimacy or not”.
Research Method
In this study, a semi-experimental method was used in which an experimental and a
control group participated. The study population consisted of male high
school students of Shahid Beheshti High School in the city of Shiraz that were totally
79
112 students that all of them participated in Spielberger aggression test and the
students whose test scores were 52 percent or higher were selected and then among
them 18 individuals were randomly selected and assigned to control and experimental
groups (9 subjects per each group).
Research Tools
Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2): The 57-item
STAXI-2 questionnaire consists of three parts and 57 items, which its first part
measures the state anger, the second part measures the anger trait and the third part
measures the way of anger expression and control. Each item of the questionnaire is
measured using a 4-point Likert scale; the completion of the questionnaire lasts about
12 to 15 minutes. The information summarized in the test practical guide shows that
alpha coefficients for scales and subscales of the state of anger (S.Ang) and the trait of
anger (T.Ang) equal to 0.84 or higher (on average, r=0.88), and for the scales stating
the expression of anger (AX-I, AX-O), control of anger (AC.I, AC.O) and the overall
index of anger expression (AX Index) equal to 0.73 or higher (on average, r=0.82).
Therefore, Cronbach's alpha coefficient as a measure of internal consistency,
generally, is satisfactory for various components of STAXI-2, and gender and illness
of the subjects do not have a significant effect on alpha coefficients.
Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSI): This scale was designed by Miller and Lefcourt
to assess intimacy received from different relationships. The items of the scale were
developed using the organized interviews in which participants discussed the role of
intimacy in all their relationships, including relationships with friends, family and
members of their family. The scale includes two categories of items that one of which
includes 6 items assigned to psychological intimacy description and another including
11 items assigned to description of the experienced intimacy at the present time. All
items will be answered on a 10-point Likert scale. Items 2 and 14 are answered
reversely and the rest of the items are scored based on a 10-point scale (1=very
rarely/low to 10=almost always/high). Miller and Lefcourt (1982) reported
Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of various performances equal to 0.86 to
0.91. Cronbach's alpha coefficient in a pilot study on a sample of 330 people,
including 166 males and 164 females, was obtained equal to 0.76. Since there was not
available a research which have been done in Iran in the field of measuring intimacy,
to prepare the social intimacy scale, the English version of the questionnaire was
translated into Persian, and then the two English language experts were asked to retranslate it to English. The differences between the English versions were assessed
and the differences were reduced to the lowest level through an iterative review
process. Hence, the semantic proximity of the two Persian and English versions was
studied. Then, several faculty members confirmed content validity and the cultural
harmony of questionnaire (Daneshvarpour et al., 2007). Miller and Lefcourt reported
the reliability of the questionnaire equal to 0.84 through test-retest with more than
two-month interval, and equal to 0.96 with more than one-month interval. Test-retest
reliability, r=0.84 (n=20, P