مطالعه روایت‌محور احساس بیگانگی هیجانی در زندگی زناشویی

بابک نجفیان; پویا رستمیان; پریسا صالحیان

Authors

Babak Najafian Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran Author
Pouya Rostamian Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Parisa Salehian Department of Educational Psychology, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran Author

Keywords:

emotional alienation, marital life, narrative study, emotional intimacy, semi-structured interview, qualitative research

Abstract

This study aimed to explore emotional alienation in marital life through a narrative-oriented qualitative approach and to identify the experiential patterns through which married individuals make sense of emotional distance in their relationships. This qualitative study used a narrative-oriented design. Participants were 18 married adults living in Tehran who reported persistent experiences of emotional distance, reduced affective intimacy, and feeling unseen or emotionally unsupported in their marital relationship. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling based on their lived experience of the phenomenon. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; initial saturation occurred after the fifteenth interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm the adequacy and stability of the emerging categories. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews. After obtaining informed consent, interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. The analysis focused on personal narratives, temporal sequencing of marital experiences, meanings attributed to emotional disconnection, and the extraction of recurrent narrative themes. The analysis showed that emotional alienation in marital life is not limited to the absence of communication or overt conflict. Rather, participants described it as a gradual process involving emotional silencing, physical co-presence without empathic presence, exhaustion after repeated failed attempts to reconnect, negative reconstruction of the marital story, and the development of survival-oriented coping strategies. Five main categories emerged: “emotional silence and the unspeakability of needs,” “physical presence and emotional absence of the spouse,” “exhaustion after unanswered attempts at connection,” “transformation of the self and marital narrative,” and “cold adaptation and marital survival without intimacy.” The findings suggest that emotional alienation in marriage is a multilayered and processual phenomenon shaped by attachment needs, communication patterns, emotional suppression, and perceived partner unresponsiveness. Clinical attention to spouses’ lived narratives may help identify early signs of emotional disconnection and inform couple therapy interventions focused on rebuilding emotional responsiveness and relational safety.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226

Bloch, L., Haase, C. M., & Levenson, R. W. (2014). Emotion regulation predicts marital satisfaction: More than a wives’ tale. Emotion, 14(1), 130–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034272

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Butler, E. A., Egloff, B., Wilhelm, F. H., Smith, N. C., Erickson, E. A., & Gross, J. J. (2003). The social consequences of expressive suppression. Emotion, 3(1), 48–67. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.3.1.48

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (2000). The timing of divorce: Predicting when a couple will divorce over a 14-year period. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(3), 737–745. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00737.x

Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348

Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903

Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511

Impett, E. A., Kogan, A., English, T., John, O. P., Oveis, C., Gordon, A. M., & Keltner, D. (2012). Suppression sours sacrifice: Emotional and relational costs of suppressing emotions in romantic relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(6), 707–720. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212437249

Johnson, S. M. (2004). The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy: Creating connection (2nd ed.). Brunner-Routledge.

Johnson, S. M. (2008). Hold me tight: Seven conversations for a lifetime of love. Little, Brown and Company.

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.

Mund, M., Johnson, M. D., & Neyer, F. J. (2021). Lonely me, lonely you: Loneliness and the longitudinal course of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 575–597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00241-9