With her master's thesis, the author wanted to answer how divorcees experience divorce, what changes divorce brings and whether it means growth for divorcees. In the theoretical part, the author presents statistics of divorce in Slovenia and Europe, explores reasons for divorce, connects the intimate relationship with the attachment
theory and attachment styles and divorce. The author highlights the emotional experience of divorce, challenges and describes the grieving process and the stages an individual goes through. Author explain the role of relational family therapy during divorce process and after the divorce itself. The author presents divorce as an opportunity for positive change and places it in the construct of post-traumatic growth. In the empirical part of thesis, the author used the method of grounded theory, which, based on empirical data obtained from in-depth semi-structured interviews, identified the changes experienced by divorcees during and after divorce. Eleven divorcees, 6 females and 5 males participated in the study. The average age of divorcees in the study was 52,5 years. The partnership lasted on average 16 years (minimum 9 years and maximum 26 years). From 3 to 15 years have passed since divorces of individual interviewees. With open and axial coding, the author designed 6 content areas: lifestyle changes, health changes, emotional experience of divorce, changes in interpersonal relationships, changes in self-experience and changes in life philosophy. In her research, the author found that the lifestyle of divorcees changed, their health deteriorated, they experienced negative
emotions during the divorce process, after divorce they experienced positive and negative emotions. The interpersonal relationships of divorcees have been transformed in two ways, namely into more cooperative, respectful and supportive, or into weakened, conflicted and broken relationships. Research has shown that divorcee maintain or transform their attitudes towards themselves during the divorce process, discover new insights about themselves, new areas of interest and hobbies, and develop their talents. The author notes that with the help of the psychotherapeutic process, spirituality and religion, divorcees have transformed their view of life, their role in it, interpersonal relationships and become more grateful. Divorce for divorcees means changes that are reflected in different areas of their lives and are also experiencing as an opportunity for personal growth.
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