Browsing by Author "Strydom, Natalia"

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    Infertility a female problem? : engaging with narrative theory and biblical narratives
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Strydom, Natalia; Penxa-Matholeni, Nobuntu; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study to present the problem that there is a large faith community, especially ministers and counsellors, who are not sensitive to the matter of infertility. By employing a feminist and gender lens, I also wish to point out that male infertility is an often taboo topic. Nevertheless, couples come to ministers and counsellors for counselling. By conducting this research, I want to to explore possible ways that ministers and pastoral counsellors can help to deconstruct the dominant stories regarding infertility, which are loaded with stigma. By employing the narrative approach, the counsellor and the counselees can construct a new preferred reality and make new meanings out of the crisis of infertility. Secondly, I argue that by being informed about the crisis of infertility, the counsellor will be better equipped to engage with empathy in a pastoral counselling journey with the couple. It is important that couples discover safe spaces to share their infertility story. The pastoral counsellor or minister should be one of those safe spaces and not contribute to the dominant problem story. By following the narrative approach and by sharing a self-narrative of infertility, I wish to paint the background of why a study such as this is important. The study offers an in-depth investigation to find biblical narratives that could be used by pastoral counsellors. The Bible stories that were chosen for this aim are mainly the stories of Ruth, Judah and Tamar. Other biblical and extra-biblical stories are also investigated as sub-narratives. However, this endeavour points to the fact that these are narratives that only illustrate implied male infertility. There are no biblical narratives regarding male infertility due to the stigma that has enveloped infertility from the earliest times. The researcher also unpacks male infertility and how it affects male identity, in other words, masculinity. The link between virility and fertility is explored in an attempt to better understand to what extent infertility causes a crisis for males and for the couple. By understanding this link, we are better equipped to understand that two individuals are affected by this crisis, but they are also affected as partners in the marital unit. The narrative counselling process allows the couple to create new meaning around the crisis and allows them to build preferred realities of what other goals they have for their marriage. It is also critically important that ministers, pastors and members of congregations begin to realise that they have the responsibility and privilege to form a support structure around this couple.