Sexual violence is an unfortunate everyday occurrence in South Africa. The rising
statistics in relation to the rape of children and infants is a strong indication of the
desperate need for the counselling mechanisms, counselling and ultimately the
prevention in this field. The occurrence of sexual dysfunction in women that were
molested as children is as a result very high and within marriages there is often a
very high price to be paid.
The research question that was applicable in this study is the following: What
pastoral guidelines can be offered for the guidance of the molested woman, that is
experiencing problems with sexual adjustment within her marriage, to guide her
towards a normal sexual relationship within the marriage. The following research
procedures were followed in order to answer this question:
Chapter 2 investigates the basic concepts of the self esteem of the molested as well
as God's plan concerning sexuality and body image. Excerpts of a number of
relevant Scriptures were made and the appropriate principles identified.
Chapter 3 covers a number of valuable contributions made by some of the
supportive sciences in this field of study. A historical overview of the manner in
which the church handles the molested woman gives valuable insight. There is a
focus placed upon the emotional and physical characteristics of the so-called rape
syndrome, typical defence mechanisms and reactions of the victim, aggression, self
esteem as well as the body image of the molested person. An in depth look is taken
at the emotional and physical characteristics of the so-called rape syndrome,
covering issues such as aggression.
Chapter 4 is an empirical investigation based on an extensive questionnaire and
interviews with a number of respondents. The content of the questions was
particularly concentrated on the role of the church, when the molestation took place,
memories and/or memory lapses regarding the molestation, functioning within the
marriage, sexual dysfunction, where help was sought and found as well as the
person's experience of God. From the responses it was deduced that there is much
room for improvement in the counselling that the Church offers to the molested
iv
woman or child.
From the information in the preceding chapters certain practice theoretical guidelines,
which can be applied when counselling the molested woman or child, could be
formulated in Chapter 5. These guidelines can be very useful when counselling the
individual as well as when counselling a married couple. In this regard much
emphasis is placed on aspects such as guilt, forgiveness, the healing process as well
as the powerful medium of prayer as part of the therapeutic process. Inner healing of
emotions and memories was also identified as absolutely crucial for such a person to
ultimately achieve sexual wellbeing and normal functionality within her marriage / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/862 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Fourie, Monnette |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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