The Life Experiences of Wives Suffering from Marital Conflicts: A Narrative Inquiry using Sandtray Images

Abstract

This study used narrative inquiry to understand the experiences of three wives who were suffering from marital conflicts. We collected data in the form of stories of life experiences of the participants and the images which they expressed in their sandtrays. Data collection involved interviews with each of the three participants over four 60-minute sessions. Narrative analysis of the data revealed the following meanings of marital conflict: ‘scabs picked over and over’ as the appearance of marital conflict; ‘glacial-interglacial cycles’ as the cycle of marital conflict; ‘seesaw not showing where it is tilted’ as the degree of marital conflict; and ‘walking up the spiral stairs slowly but constantly, at least until today’ as the trajectory of marital conflict. Based on the results of this study, it is proposed to develop an efficient counseling intervention strategy for wives suffering from marital conflict.