Abstract
M.Phil.
The aim of this study was to explore how women overcome the effects of physical and emotional abuse through personal leadership. The research has been conceptualised by the researcher‟s knowledge of the Personal, Interpersonal and Professional (PiPL) Leadership framework. The researcher researched how women overcome the effects of physical and emotional abuse from a personal perspective, as well as using individual experiences to explore how women cope with these challenges. The study was motivated by the researcher‟s experience of abuse. A decision was made to subject her own as well as another woman‟s experiences to scholarly study. This process served as a catalyst in dealing with a few unresolved challenges in her life. The study concludes that overcoming the effects of physical and emotional abuse is a burdensome journey that constantly needs work and that one can never claim to have truly mastered. From the core research problem the research question was formulated as follows:
How do women overcome the physical and emotional affects of abuse through personal leadership?
From the above research question, the following two aims of the study were formulised:
To explore, describe and reach an understanding of how two women have coped with the effects of physical and emotional abuse through personal leadership development.
To add to existing knowledge by applying the PiPL framework and other theoretical concepts to the two women‟s authentic experiences.
The study follows autoethnography as a research approach. Anderson (2006) suggests the term analytic autoethnography involving research in which the
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researcher is: (i) A full member in the research setting; (ii) Visible in such texts; (iii) Committed to develop theoretical understanding of broader social phenomena; (iv) Analytic reflexivity; and (iv) Dialogue with informants beyond the self. Anderson (2006) believes that insights gained from the lived experiences of the researcher must be applied analytically, in other words, it should contribute to some way to existing theory. This study adheres to Anderson‟s commitment to an analytic agenda. Ontologically, the study‟s position is that of constructivism. Furthermore, the epistemological stance in the study can be summarised as follows: knowledge about women overcoming the effects of abuse is generated by revealing the meaning such women attach to their experiences and the researcher‟s interpretation of it is not definitive. This statement makes claim to both interpretivism and constructivism. This study shares the journey towards recovery, connection and choices. It concerns the researcher; a woman, wife and mother, who was negatively impacted by abuse. It is validated by a significant other who shares this experience with the researcher. Lastly, it includes another woman‟s lived experiences of abuse. It is a story towards finding closure, healing and meaning. Keywords: Women abuse, resilience, overcoming the effects of physical and emotional abuse, leadership, analytical autoethnography, Smith‟s (2009) Quality of Leadership, Personal, Interpersonal and Professional Leadership (PiPL), qualitative research.