Menopause: The start of change

Authors

Heather Foster, University of WollongongFollow
Linda L. Viney, University Of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

86108

Publication Details

Foster, H. & Viney, L. L. (2006). Menopause: The start of change. In P. Caputi, H. Foster & L. L. Viney (Eds.), Personal Construct Psychology: New Ideas (pp. 229-239). England: John Wiley & Sons.

Abstract

Every woman of sufficient age goes through the transition of menopause . Furthermore, in Western society, at this time, working women in particular feel obliged to make this transition with as little fuss as possible. Yet the common name, "change of life", crystallises and preserves a meaning that is at odds with current expectations. Our previous research into the meaning of menopause involved interviews with 74 women (Foster & Viney, 2000). In that study some women said that menopause meant nothing to them and most women continued with the routine of their lives at work and at home. Many women, however, reported distressing feelings in relation to menopause. Women said that they were having difficulty in predicting what was happening, that they had feelings of confusion, feelings of loss of control over their bodies and an awareness of the need for change. We developed a model of menopause based on a personal construct account of change and informed by women's meanings (Foster & Viney, 2000). The model incorporates an intervention pathway to facilitate involvement in a creative change process and reconstruing in relation to the changes of the menopausal transition.