看一場愛情電影勝過接受心理輔導
心理TARA PARKER-POPE2014年02月14日
Stuart Bradford
男女關係中一道涇渭分明的界限是所謂「女性電影」——比方說《母女
情深》(Terms of Endearment)和《戀戀筆記本》(The
Notebook)這樣的電影往往會讓女人熱淚盈眶，讓男人百無聊賴。不過現在，一個極為有趣的新研究表明，好萊塢製作的多愁善感的情感片，事實上真的可
以在現實生活中幫助增進戀人間的關係。
羅切斯特大學(University of
Rochester)的一項研究發現，伴侶們觀看像《鋼木蘭花》(Steel Magnolias)或《愛情故事》(Love
Story)這類電影，並討論電影中提出的種種話題，相比對照組的伴侶，較少出現離婚或分居。尤其讓人驚訝的是，看《愛情故事》對情感進行干預，與兩次由
治療師主導的強化婚姻輔導同樣有效。
這雖然是一項初期研究，但對於婚內諮詢有着重要的意義。對於那些不願參加正式治療，或者所在地區沒有多少婚姻治療師的夫婦來說，電影干預法可以作為一種自助手段。
「看電影可以在不那麼駭人的情況下，讓大家展開對話，」羅切斯特大學心理學副教授、本研究的第一作者
羅納德·羅格(Ronald D. Rogge)說，「在電影的幫助下，夫妻雙方可以十分輕鬆地敞開心扉，鞏固關係，這個發現真是讓人十分振奮。」
這項研究的最初目的是評估兩種由治療師主導的干預方式，分別為CARE和PREP。CARE把重點放在夫妻諮詢的接受度和共情心上面，而PREP則集中於夫妻用來解決問題的特定溝通技巧。研究人員想要找到第三種選項，能在不接受強化輔導的情況下讓夫妻間互動。
他們因此想出了這種電影干預法，前三組夫妻或觀看五部電影，或參加由他人引導的討論。第四組則是對照組，既沒有接受輔導，也沒有得到自助任務。
在研究開始前，研究人員本以為CARE和PREP干預法可以在夫妻關係中起到顯著效果，而電影干預法可能會對夫妻關係的質量產生微弱的改善。令他們驚訝的是，電影干預法在減少離婚和分居方面，跟前兩種已經為人們所認可的治療方法同樣有效。
三年後，在參加研究的174對夫妻中，接受婚姻諮詢或電影干預的夫妻離婚或分居的可能性，是未接受任何干預的對照組夫妻的一半。在干預組中離婚或分居率為11%，而對照組為24%。
在確定有可能對夫妻有益的情感片目錄時，研究人員排除了一些流行的
浪漫喜劇片或「初墜愛河」電影，比如《西雅圖不眠夜》(Sleepless in Seattle)或《當哈利遇到莎莉》(When Harry Met
Sally)。他們選擇的是一些反映情侶關係出現各種高峰和低谷的電影。羅格介紹說：「好萊塢會對戀情設下十分不切實際的預期，那種你肯定能一見鍾情、從
此愛得不能自拔的想法，完全不合乎事實，也不適用於那些步入感情生活已有兩三年或四年的大部分情侶。」
清單上的一些電影，比如《伴侶度假村》(Couples Retreat)很搞笑，但並不那麼貼近現實。「可是，它們能讓夫妻間展開討論，」羅格說。
在完成了初期研究後，羅格博士和他的同事們從美國各地徵集伴侶，當
中包括了結婚多年的夫妻和同性伴侶，想要研究電影干預法對不同的感情關係的作用。其中一個被訪對象是家住田納西州諾克斯維爾市的梅根·克里夫頓
(Megan Clifton)，這位27歲的學生跟男友已經同居了將近兩年。儘管她說兩人間「溝通十分暢通」，但她仍然選擇嘗試電影干預法。
情侶倆一起看由蒂娜·菲(Tina
Fey)和史蒂夫·卡瑞爾(Steve Carell)主演的《約會之夜》(Date
Night)，看到有一幕，丈夫總是記不得合上抽屜和衣櫃門時，倆人大笑起來。「他老是把衣櫃門敞着，我成了嘮叨的女朋友，他這才稍稍改進了些，」克里夫
頓說，「我們一起看電影時，我說，『這不就是你嘛！』，這一幕真是很搞笑。我們為此笑了好久，它幫助我們以一種幽默的方式來看待彼此間的關係和問題。」
馬特·巴特勒(Matt
Butler)和妻子凱莉(Kellie)住在俄亥俄州阿什塔比拉市，兩人已經結婚16年，他們同樣覺得電影干預法對感情有幫助。倆人一起觀看了《愛情與
靈藥》(Love and Other Drugs)和《天下父母心》(She』s Having a Baby)。
「效果真是挺強大的，」巴特勒先生說：「它有點像是在群體治療環節中觀看角色扮演，不過看的是電影，所以不會那麼嚇人，而且更具娛樂性。」
巴特勒說，他和太太之間感情篤深，不過結婚多年後，夫妻間有時會忘記談及彼此的感情。「我們結婚已經16年，但我們不會坐下來好好交流一下婚姻的感受，」他說：「而當你們一起看電影時，可以將談話的重點放在雙方的關係上。」
羅格博士指出，尚需要進行更多研究以確定電影對不同的伴侶產生的作用。這項研究的一個缺陷在於對照組並非真正隨機抽樣。儘管對照組的伴侶跟研究中的其他伴侶在人口統計學和感情質量上貌似相仿，但還需要進一步進行研究，這樣方能確認電影干預法的有效性。
「我相信，觀看每部電影后進行的對話深度，以及伴侶們在這些對話中付出的努力、時間與反思，能夠預示他們的感情路是否可以一帆風順，」羅格說。
本文最初發表於2014年2月11日。
翻譯：學清
Movie Date Night Can Double as Therapy
By TARA PARKER-POPE February 14, 2014
One of the great divides in
male-female relationships is the “chick flick” — movies like “Terms of
Endearment” and “The Notebook” that often leave women in tears and men
bored. But now, a fascinating new study shows that sappy relationship
movies made in Hollywood can actually help strengthen relationships in
the real world.
A University of Rochester study
found that couples who watched and talked about issues raised in movies
like “Steel Magnolias” and “Love Story” were less likely to divorce or
separate than couples in a control group. Surprisingly, the “Love Story”
intervention was as effective at keeping couples together as two
intensive therapist-led methods.
The findings, while
preliminary, have important implications for marriage counseling
efforts. The movie intervention could become a self-help option for
couples who are reluctant to join formal therapy sessions or could be
used by couples who live in areas with less access to therapists.
“A movie is a nonthreatening way to get the conversation started,” said
Ronald D. Rogge,
an associate professor of psychology at the University of Rochester and
the lead author of the study. “It’s really exciting because it makes it
so much easier to reach out to couples and help them strengthen their
relationships on a wide scale.”
The initial goal of the study
was to evaluate two types of therapist-led interventions called CARE and
PREP. The CARE method focuses on acceptance and empathy in couples
counseling, while PREP is centered on a specific communication style
that couples use to resolve issues. The researchers wanted a third
option that allowed couples to interact but did not involve intensive
counseling.
They came up with the movie
intervention, assigning couples to watch five movies and to take part in
guided discussions afterward. A fourth group of couples received no
counseling or self-help assignments and served as a control group.
Going into the study, the
researchers expected that the CARE and PREP methods would have a
pronounced effect on relationships and that the movie intervention might
result in some mild improvements to relationship quality. To their
surprise, the movie intervention worked just as well as both of the
established therapy methods in reducing divorce and separation.
Among 174 couples studied,
those who received marriage counseling or took part in the movie
intervention were half as likely to divorce or separate after three
years compared with couples in the control group who received no
intervention. The divorce or separation rate was 11 percent in the
intervention groups, compared with 24 percent in the control group.
In determining the list of
relationship movies that might be useful to couples, the researchers
eliminated popular romantic comedies or “falling in love” movies like
“Sleepless in Seattle” or “When Harry Met Sally.” Instead, they put
together a list of movies that show couples at various highs and lows in
their relationships. “Hollywood can place very unrealistic expectations
on romantic relationships,” Dr. Rogge said. “The idea that you are
supposed to fall in love instantly and effortlessly is not reality and
not relevant to most couples who are two, three or four years into a
relationship.”
Some of the movies on the list,
like “Couples Retreat,” are funny and not necessarily realistic. “But
they are enough to get a dialogue going,” Dr. Rogge said.
Since completing the initial
study, Dr. Rogge and his colleagues have been recruiting couples from
around the country to study the effect of the movie intervention on
different relationships, including long-married and same-sex couples.
Megan Clifton, a 27-year-old student in Knoxville, Tenn., has lived with
her boyfriend for nearly two years. Although she says the two have
“great communication,” she opted to try the movie intervention.
While watching the movie “Date
Night” with Tina Fey and Steve Carell, the couple laughed at a scene in
which the husband fails to close drawers and cabinet doors. “He leaves
cabinet doors open all the time, and I become the nagging girlfriend and
he shuts down a little,” Ms. Clifton said. “When we were watching the
movie, I said ‘That’s you!,’ and it was humorous. We ended up laughing
about it, and it has helped us look at our relationship and our problems
in a humorous way.”
Matt and Kellie Butler of
Ashtabula, Ohio, have been married for 16 years and also feel the movie
intervention has helped their relationship. So far they have watched
“Love and Other Drugs” and “She’s Having a Baby.”
“It’s kind of powerful,” Mr.
Butler said. “It’s like watching a role play in a group-therapy session,
but it’s a movie so it’s less threatening and more entertaining.”
Mr. Butler said that even
though he and his wife have a strong bond, long-married couples
sometimes forget to talk about their relationship. “We’ve been married
16 years, but it’s not something you sit down and have a conversation
about,” he said. “When you watch the movie, it focuses your conversation
on your relationship.”
Dr. Rogge noted that more
research is needed to determine the effect on a variety of couples. One
flaw of the study is that the control group was not truly randomized.
While the couples in the control group seemed similar to other couples
in the study in terms of demographics and relationship quality, further
research is needed to validate the movie method.
“I believe it’s the depth of
the discussions that follow each movie and how much effort and time and
introspection couples put into those discussions that will predict how
well they do going forward,” said Dr. Rogge.
