Transactional analysis

Purpose - Achieving balanced development and spatial justice with much emphasis on competitive advantages has been constantly the main concern among planners and policy-makers to reduce inefficiency, inequality, polarization, and fragmentation in the spatial structure of different countries. Fulfilling such goals demands the knowledge of local potentials and the way to exploit them in a correct manner. Therefore, this study aimed to identify competitive advantages and levels of living in the study area, and then assess the effective drivers of balanced regional development (BRD) based on local competitiveness using future studies. Design/methodology/approach- An analytical-exploratory applied method was used to reflect on the rural areas and the researchers working on regional planning in Ardabil Township, Iran, were the statistical population. The sample size was thus determined to be 30 individuals using the snowball sampling method (via theoretical saturation). The data were also collected by a Delphi questionnaire, library method, documents, statistics, and initiatives. To analyze the data, Micmac software, the Geographic Information System (GIS software), Microsoft EXCEL, and the Morris method were employed. Finding- Analyzing the research findings associated with the variables as determinants with direct influence showed that among 23 variables in this study, 13 cases were within direct influence-dependence scope or condition but only 12 variables prioritized respectively as policy stability, executive regulations/procedures, price stability and predictability and intervention logic, monopoly prevention, unfair concessions or rents and competitions, removal of administrative barriers to business through delegation approach, effective deterrence of criminal laws and prosecutions in the judicial system, innovation/initiative flow, prevention of biased perceptions of laws by relevant stakeholders, distribution system and marketing status, effective market demand, administrative procedures and business information transparency, willingness to buy foreign goods, as well as auditing and taxing regulations/procedures as determinants had the highest influential power, that is, they constituted the drivers of BRD. Research limitations/implications - Among the most important limitations of the present study was no access to the statistics of all cases and the unwillingness of a number of executive organizations and bodies in Ardabil Township to cooperate. Furthermore, the pivot strategies in this research were established based on local development and BRD strategies. Practical implications - To meet the objectives of BRD planning in the rural areas of Ardabil Township, the key role of the 12 main variables mentioned here should be taken into account. Such variables have high influence and low dependence on BRD improvements in the study area and they are of top priority in planning for BRD based on local competitiveness in the rural areas of Ardabil County, Iran. Originality/Value - Little research has thus far assessed the effective drivers of BRD based on local competitiveness using future studies. Amongst the advantages of the present study, the comprehensiveness and impediment of its research criteria stand out.

Aim: Marriage is a social institution that forms the foundation of relationships and creates family units. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of transactional analysis on marital quality and positive thinking of married women in District 6 of Tehran in 2020. Methods: This quasi-experimental research was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and included a control group. Among the married women in the 6th district of Tehran who had enrolled in the Institute of Transactional Analysis Training, 34 individuals were selected using Purposive sampling, with 17 randomly assigned to the experimental group and 17 to the control group. The marital quality and positive thinking questionnaires were administered to subjects in the experimental group during the pretest phase, followed by implementing the independent variable (transactional analysis) in the experimental group through 9 three-hour sessions. The control group did not receive any training. After the final session, both groups completed the marital quality and positive thinking questionnaires in the post-test phase. The SPSS 19 software was utilized to conduct the covariance analysis test to analyze the data. Results: The value of F indicates the effect of transactional analysis training on marital quality (F=533.862; P=0.017), and positive thinking (F=14.67; P=0.001) demonstrates the impact of transactional analysis training on positive thinking and marital quality is confirmed after controlling for pretest effects and nuisance variables. Conclusion:This study reveals that transactional analysis impacts marital quality and positive thinking of married women. One of the most crucial functions of training is the ability to express one's needs to the spouse, leading to improvement in marital quality, specifically by reducing stress and anger. Additionally, by helping individuals identify and manage their emotions, transactional analysis training can help control negative emotions and improve their overall outlook, increasing positive thinking. This positive thinking, achieved through transactional analysis training, can improve individuals' mental and emotional well-being and reconstruct their damaged spirits.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy and transactional analysis on sexual function and sexual satisfaction in female patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: In this study, 20 women with bipolar disorder who referred to the Gyrus Specialty Neurology and Psychiatry Clinic in Tehran from April to August 2022 were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: mindfulness-based therapy, transactional analysis therapy, and a control group. All participants completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) by Rosen et al. (2000) and the Sexual Satisfaction Scale by Larson et al. (1998) before and after the intervention. The mindfulness-based therapy group underwent eight 90-to-120-minute sessions held twice a week, while the transactional analysis group received treatment in nine 60-to-120-minute sessions held twice a week. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis. Findings: The results indicated that both mindfulness-based therapy and transactional analysis therapy had an effect on sexual function and sexual satisfaction in female patients with bipolar disorder. Moreover, a comparison of the effectiveness of the two therapeutic approaches across all dimensions showed that mindfulness-based therapy had a greater impact on sexual function and sexual satisfaction in female patients with bipolar disorder compared to transactional analysis. Conclusion: Therefore, the use of mindfulness-based therapy is recommended in psychology clinics.