[The method of personal interaction laboratories applied to groups of married couples]

The aim of Personal Interaction Laboratories is not to overcome or to solve any marriage problem or maladjustment. They provide an intense, quick experience, in which the participants get a rare chance to examine the way they are interacting with each other's partner, and the degree of mutual adaptation. A peculiar atmosphere of trust and reliability is usually created in the group, and grows steadily according to the increasing willingness of all members to share a higher degree of intimacy. This climate allows for deep emotional exchanges through which persons and couples gain a fresh view of themselves, allowing a long lasting drive for improving their life patterns. This report briefs the results of four Laboratories for married couples sponsored by the Human Welfare Foundation ("Fundación para el Bienestar Humano"), at Medellín-Colombia, in 1971 and 1972; they included 8, 10, 6 and 12 couples, that is, 36 in all. Participation in the Laboratories was set on a strictly voluntary basis; information was provided to personnel of the main industrial and commercial corporations, and interested prospective candidates applied for admission. The couples were selected according to their socio-economical level (medium and lower-medium), their educational background (at least two years of high school), and their lack of apparent mental symptoms. A special country resort was selected for the Laboratories, in order to guarantee adequate isolation for the group and no possible contacts with the familiar environment. Sessions were started on Wednesdays at 8 pm and closed on Sundays at 1.30 pm. The available time was completely devoted to Laboratory activities, allowing only short breaks for meals. T-group sessions took most of the time. They were given special attention, being at the core of group development. Each session was 90 to 120 minutes long; a total of nine were programmed. There were complementary activities, such as lectures on marriage counseling, group discussions on texts previously studied, role-playing on specific familiar situations, and related subjects. The participants were also to complete several forms: before, during and after the experience, the last one being delivered several months later.