RESILIENCE: PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE CHILD OF PARENTAL DIVORCE AND THE DEATH OF PARENTS

Abstract

Losing both parents due to divorce or death is a traumatic incident that produces a source of stress in life. This will be bad for the person’s life since it might create a sense of loneliness, a grave need for affection, and financial problems. Individuals need an ability to overcome problems called resilience. Resilience is a capacity to respond soundly and productively when facing misery or traumatic events. Subjects in this study experienced trauma from parental divorce and death of both parents. When both parents were still alive, the subject never received attention from his father since he had remarried while his mother was forced to work abroad to fulfill their financial needs. The subject was raised by his grandparents with a strong upbringing pattern and lacked the support for achievement. However, the subject managed to grow to be an independent adult and survive the difficult conditions suffered while still managed to be whatever he wants without harming others. The purpose of this study is to investigate the resilience dynamics of a child experiencing parental divorce and death. This research uses phenomenology approach. Subject in this study consisted of one person based on typical case sampling. The typical cases discussed here are divorce and death of both parents. Data is collected using semi-structured interview method and then analysed using thematic analysis. The result of this study indicates that the subject has developed resilience from adverse events happened to him. The greatest effects experienced by the subject from this traumatic event are the low level of family support, the sense of loneliness, problems with the authoritarian style of rearing he endured while living with the parent's family after parental divorce until both parents died that make it difficult for him to trust others, as well as low self-esteem. But these adverse effects had not made him desperate with his life. The subject's involvement in social activities has succeeded in changing his view toward life more positively and making the subject self-sufficient individual. Factors such as hardiness, locus of control and spirituality are found in the subject and contribute to the subject's ability to survive even without the full support of the family. In essence, the involvement of subjects in social activities is the greatest source and influence from where the subject rebuilt his view of life, to rise above the problem and become a more positive individual.