ASSESSING INTERPERSONAL FUSION

The purpose of this research is to critique an article by Elizabeth Skowron and Thomas Schmitt that appeared in the Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy in 2003. The bibliographic data for the article is as follows:

Skowron, E. A., & Schmitt, T. A. (2003, April). Assessing interpersonal fusion: Reliability and validity of a new diffusion with others subscale. Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy, 29 (2), 209-222.

The critique of this article focuses on four principal issues. These issues are as follows:

1. What was the authors' primary objective in conducting the research project reported in the article?

2. What were the strengths and weaknesses of methodology followed in the conduct of the research project reported in the article?

3. To what extent were the authors' successful in attaining the principal objective of the research project reported in the article?

4. In what ways and to what extent are the results of the project reported in the article useful or beneficial to the field of marriage and family therapy?

What Was the Authors' Primary Objective in Conducting the Research Project Reported in the Article?

The focus of the research reported in the article was on one component (sub-scale) of the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI). The DSI is a multidimensional instrument that measures differentiation by an individual

. . .
y followed by the researchers in the conduct of the project reported in the critiqued article was the approach taken in the revision of the FO sub-scale. The researchers reviewed the existing FO sub-scale within the contexts of (a) the objectives of the application of the sub-scale and (b) Bowen Family Systems Theory. Based on this review, the researchers retained five items from the existing FO sub-scale and developed 26 new items for the sub-scale. The 31 items then were submitted to three recognized individuals who are (a) recognized for their expertise in Bowen Family Systems Theory and (b) were involved in the original development of the DSI. This approach provided a refereed characteristic to the development of a revised FO sub-scale. Based on the written feedback and guidance from the three-person review panel, Skowron and Schmitt (2003) selected 17 of the 26 new items developed for the revised FO sub-scale. They added the 17 items to the five items retained from the existing FO sub-scale to create the revised FO sub-scale that was tested in the project reported in the article being critiqued. A second strength of the methodology followed by Skowron and Schmitt (2003) involve the application of statistic procedures
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1689
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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