An explication of women's experience of an alteration in psychology during pregnancy : implications for counsellors
Date
1992
Authors
Snell, Anita
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explicate women's experience of an alteration in psychology during pregnancy. The impetus for the study arose from my conviction, developed over 20 years of midwifery practice, that it was necessary and desirable for counsellors, and society in general, to gain a greater understanding of women's psychology during pregnancy. A review of the literature details cultural and historical attitudes towards pregnant women, provides some relevant physiological information about pregnancy, and explores the limited information written in English concerning psychology in pregnancy. The choice of a phenomenological methodology is explained and the researcher's journey into the world of data analysis is chronicled, with particular attention paid to the development of the phenomenological necessity of bracketing.
What emerges from these efforts are three distinct accounts of the experience of an alteration in psychology during pregnancy. Each participant, responsible for creating and giving birth to a new being, must also adapt to profound changes in self concept. She has become a self who has another being growing inside her; a self who is now affecting someone else with everything she ingests and possibly with every thought; a self whose status in society changes abruptly and dramatically; a self who will give birth and parent this new being. From the first knowledge that conception h as taken place, a pregnant woman must incorporate into her self concept many new roles that may be in direct conflict with her nonpregnant self. It could be said that a woman who is pregnant creates and gives birth to a new part of herself as well as giving birth to a baby.
Underlying themes are discussed and the results of this study are related to counselling literature and counselling practice. The results indicate the phenomenological essence of experiencing an alteration in psychology during pregnancy implies: (a) an increase in emotional vulnerability; (b) dramatic alterations in body image and sexuality; (c) marked changes in relationships with others; (d) the development of a relationship with the fetus; (e) and the psychological adjustments necessitated by these changes. Implications for further research include the need for a general increase in our knowledge of psychological processes during pregnancy. In conclusion, specific concerns such as exploring counsellors' attitudes towards pregnancy and psychotherapy in pregnancy are addressed.
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UN SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being