The traumatic experience of divorce and its impact on women

Abstract

This dissertation will contain chapters on research methodology, divorce as a process, trauma and storying the untold stories of hope about the traumatic experience after tragic divorce of three divorced women in Wierdapark in Pretoria. Lastly the dissertation will draw the author into a few conclusions. In doing so the women will be valued throughout as co-researchers and not as objects. The formula of Alis Adams to which Lammot is referring to could be very helpful to counselors in this regard. The formula is: A) Describing the action or story B) Provides the background of the story and also includes literature studies of applicable themes or topics C) Development. This refers to a new development of stories emerging from the trauma D) Climax. This explains the climaxes reached or discovered in storying the un-storied E) Ending. Because our lives and so our stories never end, this leaves the co-researchers and the author with a new story and a sense of what it all means and where we are now. Peterson describes the story as “… the most adult form of language” (1987:119). He describes the characteristic of the story and said that all stories display basic similarities. All stories are unique, but the basic elements of a story are to be found in each one. He has identified five characteristics and distinguished them as follows: <ul> <li> Every story has a beginning and an end. Stories happened within a specific context and time. There is always a past and a future.</li> <li> Each story always describes some or other crisis.</li> <li> In a sense we will find in each story, some way of deliverance, which forms part of the plot.</li> <li> Development of characters and their relationships takes place. Good or bad people with names are to be found within the story.</li> <li> Everything in a story has meaning. Nothing is co incidence.</li></ul> Peterson says “…all the stories in the world display the same characteristics. They will vary from story to story, sometimes they will be more explicit and other times less explicit, but they are always there” (1987:121). To tell your story, means to regain one’s power (HAT 1984:1245).