Date Awarded

1994

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Advisor

Kevin E. Geoffroy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of psychodrama treatment on assertiveness and locus of control for women who sought out-patient therapy to deal with the experience of having been battered. Subjects were required to have been out of their abusive relationships for at least two months.;Forty women completed the study. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group of psychodrama treatment or to a comparison group that received whatever treatment was available to them if the study were not taking place. Each of three sections of psychodrama experimental groups met for one eighteen hour weekend and for three, three hour evening meetings in the next three consecutive weeks.;Pre and post treatment measures of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule and the Rotter I-E Scale were given to both groups. Findings indicated that although both the experimental group and the comparison group showed significant gains on assertiveness (t (39) = 1.39, p = 0.02) during the pre to post time period, contrary to the first hypothesis, the experimental group did not show significantly more gains than the comparison group. Contrary to the second hypothesis, the experimental group did not show significantly more change from external to internal orientation of locus of control. The changes in locus of control were not significant for either group. Assertiveness was found to be related significantly to internal locus of control on pre-testings (r = {dollar}-{dollar}0.47, p = 0.02) as predicted by the third hypothesis.;Positive changes for assertiveness, locus of control and depression were noted for both the experimental group and the comparison group but the results of this study did not show psychodrama to be significantly more effective than other treatments for increasing assertiveness or changing locus of control orientation. Limiting features of the study's design are discussed.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-kjaj-h148

Rights

© The Author

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