Abstract

This study examined effect of transactional analysis therapy on anger among Baptist couples in Ekiti State. The study employed a pre-test, post-test, control quasi experimental research design using a 2 x 3 factorial matrix. The targeted population of the study consisted of all married Baptist individuals in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was used to choose the sample. The sample of the study comprised twenty married individuals selected from various Baptist Churches in Ekiti State who were screened with Fitzgibbons Anger Inventory. At stage I, simple random sampling was used to select two Baptist churches each from different association. This gives room for covering the entire geographical location in Ekiti state Baptist membership. At stage II, a purposive sampling technique was used to select married individuals from different churches around each of the study centres. The instruments used are Clinical Anger Scale (CAS) and Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS). The data for the two groups (Transactional Analysis Therapy and Control group) were analysed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) statistics at 0.05 level of significance, likewise, the Duncan Post-hoc analysis was also used to determine the direction of differences for significant results. There is a significant main effect of treatments on married individual’s anger management. This means there is significant difference in the mean scores of the anger among married individual that was exposed to Transactional analysis therapy (TAT) when compared with the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the post-hoc test mean scores in reducing the anger of the married individual in the TAT. Individual that were exposed to TAT (Mean = 41.20) benefited better than those in the control (Mean = 76.98). There was a significant main effect of emotional intelligence on anger management of married individuals. Counsellors and counselling psychologists should be encouraged and confident to use the transactional analysis training in managing anger-related behaviour among married individuals. It is expedient for married individuals to avail themselves for intervention strategy such as transactional analysis training from qualified personnel in order