Journal of Counseling Research

Aim: The main aim of this research is to developing the causal model of marital stability based on differentiation.. Method: The study used a correlation method, and 200 married women were selected from the parents of first-secondary school students in the first district of Kermanshah through cluster sampling. The participants completed Enrich's conflict management questionnaire (1982), the self-differentiation questionnaire by Scoron and Smith (2003), and Edwards et al.'s (1987) marital stability questionnaire. The data collected using PLS software has been used to examine the relationship between the research variables using structural equation path analysis.

 Finding: The results indicated that self-differentiation and marital stability are related with a path coefficient of 0.556, and self-differentiation and conflict management have a relationship with a path coefficient of (0.593). Conflict management and marital stability are linked with a path coefficient of (0.269), and self-differentiation and marital stability are related to the mediating role of conflict management, with a path coefficient of (0.716).Conclusion: People who are at a high level of differentiation. They manage couple conflicts better; Because they have the ability to regulate their emotions and have reached a better growth, they can have a constructive interaction with the other party and manage their functions, which will result in stability and marital satisfaction.