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Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010.

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Other Authors: Eskell-Blokland, Linda
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Eskell-Blokland, Linda
author_browse Eskell-Blokland, Linda
author_facet Eskell-Blokland, Linda
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2009 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24732
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:40:12.572Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24732 Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS Eskell-Blokland, Linda katherine.bain@wits.ac.za Bain, Katherine Alison Resilience Mourning Social support Integration Dependence-independence Women Hiv/aids Self Identity Individuation Autonomy Coping UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. This study describes the subjective psychological experience of African women positively living with and dying of HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the significant cognitive, emotional and social themes involved in their subjective sense of coping. HIV-positive African women have been identified as being at risk psychologically, due to gender inequality in African culture and society and the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS. Their traditional role as caregivers also places them at risk, but highlights the importance of understanding their experience in order to assist these women and their children. Drawing on interpretive methods within a qualitative research approach, ten women who are coping with their HIV-positive status were interviewed in order to gain an understanding of their experiences of coping with HIV/AIDS. The analysis of the interview material suggests that coping is a process of disconnection and reconnection that entails the ability to know one’s own experience. Coping was found to be a process of mourning in which the individual moves from a time of not coping toward acceptance of their status and the changes this necessitates in their relationships. Resolution of mourning seemed to entail greater integration of these women’s sense of themselves and psychological strength was found to originate in coping with adversity. The study draws on three theoretical approaches, namely positive psychology, object relations theory and analytical psychology. Carl Jung’s theory of individuation and Joseph Campbell’s interpretation of it, The Hero’s Journey, was used as a frame for the theoretical discussion. Within this frame, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ stages of mourning were integrated with Donald Winnicott’s description of separation in the move from dependence to independence, Winnicott’s ideas around the capacity to be alone, Melanie Klein’s description of the move from the paranoid-schizoid to the depressive position and Wilfred Bion’s ideas around the desire to know one’s own experience. Throughout the discussion a number of concepts from positive psychology were explored, such as: coping styles, social support, participation in life, positive goals, autonomy and resilience. The core of Jung’s theory, which is the integration of all aspects of the self, allowed space to explore distress and coping, both of which are entailed in the process of coping. Psychology unrestricted 2013-09-06T18:14:58Z 2010-05-17 2013-09-06T18:14:58Z 2010-04-22 2010-05-17 2010-05-16 Thesis Bain, KA 2009, Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24732 > D10/305/ag http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24732 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05162010-001552/ © 2009 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Resilience
Mourning
Social support
Integration
Dependence-independence
Women
Hiv/aids
Self
Identity
Individuation
Autonomy
Coping
UCTD
Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS
title Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS
title_full Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS
title_fullStr Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS
title_full_unstemmed Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS
title_short Beneath the wings of Aidos (Goddess of Shame) : women finding the courage to live with HIV and the strength to die of AIDS
title_sort beneath the wings of aidos goddess of shame women finding the courage to live with hiv and the strength to die of aids
topic Resilience
Mourning
Social support
Integration
Dependence-independence
Women
Hiv/aids
Self
Identity
Individuation
Autonomy
Coping
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24732
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05162010-001552/