Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2009. Social Work Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-275). Most trauma research has addressed only the painful, often devastating effects of traumatic experiences on individuals, and thus has left unexplored the opportunity to move be...
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ftmemorialunivdc:oai:collections.mun.ca:theses4/67675 2023-05-15T17:23:34+02:00 Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well McKenzie-Mohr, Suzanne, 1964- Memorial University of Newfoundland. School of Social Work 2008 viii, 294 leaves Image/jpeg; Application/pdf http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses4/id/67675 Eng eng Electronic Theses and Dissertations (38.02 MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/theses/Mckenzie-Mohr_Suzanne.pdf a3241890 http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses4/id/67675 The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Paper copy kept in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University Libraries Rape trauma syndrome Rape victims--Psychological aspects Rape victims--Services for Text Electronic thesis or dissertation 2008 ftmemorialunivdc 2015-08-06T19:22:05Z Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2009. Social Work Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-275). Most trauma research has addressed only the painful, often devastating effects of traumatic experiences on individuals, and thus has left unexplored the opportunity to move beyond "survival" or "recovery" to positive outcomes. While a small but growing body of research has focused on positive as well as negative changes after trauma, most of these studies use quantitative methods to understand this change and have focused almost exclusively on elements associated with outcomes rather than on the process an individual may progress through toward these outcomes. This investigation is unique in its study of the process into living well after rape, as experienced and understood by a group of adult women. It is meant to be research for, rather than on, women ~ in which the research process empowers by focusing on women's agency, providing new accounts of women's experience, and attending to both personal and social potential and transformation. Through multiple individual participant-guided interviews, ten women shared their stories. While interviewing women, the inadequacies of dominant scripts to assist in understanding rape itself and to support positive change after rape became evident. Prevailing narratives available to women are influenced deeply by medical, legal, and social framings of women's lives, resulting in, at best, a focus on the amelioration of negative effects. These influences have challenged and obscured women's post-rape experiences of progressing toward living well. Following Kathy Charmaz's constructivist approach to grounded theory, I explore the process participants navigated and strategies they used to transcend limiting discourses and grow toward living well. The interpretations reflect a long, complex, and multi-dimensional process that involved three phases. While progress tended to be slow, breakthroughs of more significant progress occurred that assisted women in their transition into subsequent phases, often with the assistance of allies. Further, participants described their progress from one phase of the process to the next as secure and irreversible due to fundamental developments in themselves and their understanding of rape. Strategies developed by women to deconstruct and reconstruct rape scripts in order to progress toward living well are discussed, and implications for informal and professional allies are considered. Thesis Newfoundland studies University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland: Digital Archives Initiative (DAI) |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland: Digital Archives Initiative (DAI) |
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English |
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Rape trauma syndrome Rape victims--Psychological aspects Rape victims--Services for |
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Rape trauma syndrome Rape victims--Psychological aspects Rape victims--Services for McKenzie-Mohr, Suzanne, 1964- Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
topic_facet |
Rape trauma syndrome Rape victims--Psychological aspects Rape victims--Services for |
description |
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2009. Social Work Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-275). Most trauma research has addressed only the painful, often devastating effects of traumatic experiences on individuals, and thus has left unexplored the opportunity to move beyond "survival" or "recovery" to positive outcomes. While a small but growing body of research has focused on positive as well as negative changes after trauma, most of these studies use quantitative methods to understand this change and have focused almost exclusively on elements associated with outcomes rather than on the process an individual may progress through toward these outcomes. This investigation is unique in its study of the process into living well after rape, as experienced and understood by a group of adult women. It is meant to be research for, rather than on, women ~ in which the research process empowers by focusing on women's agency, providing new accounts of women's experience, and attending to both personal and social potential and transformation. Through multiple individual participant-guided interviews, ten women shared their stories. While interviewing women, the inadequacies of dominant scripts to assist in understanding rape itself and to support positive change after rape became evident. Prevailing narratives available to women are influenced deeply by medical, legal, and social framings of women's lives, resulting in, at best, a focus on the amelioration of negative effects. These influences have challenged and obscured women's post-rape experiences of progressing toward living well. Following Kathy Charmaz's constructivist approach to grounded theory, I explore the process participants navigated and strategies they used to transcend limiting discourses and grow toward living well. The interpretations reflect a long, complex, and multi-dimensional process that involved three phases. While progress tended to be slow, breakthroughs of more significant progress occurred that assisted women in their transition into subsequent phases, often with the assistance of allies. Further, participants described their progress from one phase of the process to the next as secure and irreversible due to fundamental developments in themselves and their understanding of rape. Strategies developed by women to deconstruct and reconstruct rape scripts in order to progress toward living well are discussed, and implications for informal and professional allies are considered. |
author2 |
Memorial University of Newfoundland. School of Social Work |
format |
Thesis |
author |
McKenzie-Mohr, Suzanne, 1964- |
author_facet |
McKenzie-Mohr, Suzanne, 1964- |
author_sort |
McKenzie-Mohr, Suzanne, 1964- |
title |
Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
title_short |
Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
title_full |
Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
title_fullStr |
Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
title_full_unstemmed |
Out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
title_sort |
out from and beyond trauma : women's experiences of the process from rape to living well |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses4/id/67675 |
genre |
Newfoundland studies University of Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland studies University of Newfoundland |
op_source |
Paper copy kept in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University Libraries |
op_relation |
Electronic Theses and Dissertations (38.02 MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/theses/Mckenzie-Mohr_Suzanne.pdf a3241890 http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses4/id/67675 |
op_rights |
The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. |
_version_ |
1766113431078830080 |