Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Facing and Dealing with the Challenge of Involuntary Childlessness : an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Facing and Dealing with the Challenge of Involuntary Childlessness : an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Do you wish to request the book?
Facing and Dealing with the Challenge of Involuntary Childlessness : an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Dissertation
Facing and Dealing with the Challenge of Involuntary Childlessness : an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
2019
Overview
Having children is a major transition in adult development, bringing new meanings into one's life. While there are people who are childless by choice, for those who are involuntarily childless, life without the fulfilment of parenthood can affect them in various ways. Although, much research on childlessness looks at infertility and treatment experiences, little is known about what it is actually like to be involuntarily childless living everyday life while contemporaries pursue their lives with children. This thesis is composed of two empirical studies. Part I explores the experience of eleven white British women (aged between 45 and 54) who are involuntarily childless. Part II, as an extended study from Part I, investigates the experiences of four white British childless men (aged between 44 and 47) who wanted to be dads. This research applies the participant-centred experiential approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experience of involuntary childlessness. The results from both studies reveal the following four higher-order patterns: 1) Intrapersonal - loss; 2) Interpersonal - loss; 3) Intrapersonal - gain; and 4) Interpersonal - gain; all of which underpin the experience of the participants striving to live their lives meaningfully. The findings suggest that the emotional impact of childlessness may not appear as a symptom but trigger existential concerns. Difficulties in finding shared meaning with people with children have important implications on identity development. Ways of dealing with childlessness are unique to individuals, and finding ways of relational reconnections, where intrapersonal and interpersonal meaning integration takes place, are of vital importance for people facing the challenge of involuntary childlessness. This thesis hopes to offer a holistic psychological understanding that has practical implications for counsellors and health professionals, and to raise awareness on this phenomenon in society. The need of further research is also addressed.
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Subject
