Resource type
Thesis type
(Thesis) M.A.
Date created
2006
Authors/Contributors
Author: Hebert, Sarah E
Abstract
As the average age of first marriage increases, young adults may experience more non-marital breakups. Previous non-marital breakup research has focused on distress and negative outcomes, but has rarely examined the positive consequences or personal growth aspects of the experience. In this study, I explored the changes that undergraduate university students reported experiencing as a result of a non-marital breakup and how those changes arose. A qualitative grounded theory methodology, as outlined by Strauss and Corbin (1998), was used. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who had recently experienced a non-marital breakup. From these interviews, I constructed a grounded theoretical model of change and personal growth following non-marital breakups, containing three interrelated phases: Experiencing a loss, pulling apart, and moving beyond. In this model, I assert that students may experience stress-related growth after a breakup and provide an explanation for these changes. Implications for counselling are also discussed.
Document
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Scholarly level
Language
English
Member of collection
Download file | Size |
---|---|
etd2615.pdf | 1.43 MB |