Christianity and Coping: a Narrative Account of how Middle-Aged Men use Christianity to Cope with Major Life Events.

O'Byrne, Megan Bridie (2018) Christianity and Coping: a Narrative Account of how Middle-Aged Men use Christianity to Cope with Major Life Events. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

Preview

Available under License In Copyright. Download (658kB) | Preview

Abstract

This research explored how men over the age of 40 narrate the use of Christianity as a coping mechanism throughout major life events. A qualitative approach was foretaken; using the biographic narrative interpretive interview method, five Christian men aged over 40 were interviewed. The research objectives were to understand; how males over the age of 40 story how they use religion throughout life with regards to major life events and experiences, and how these narratives are related to their ability to cope. The developmental approach to narrative analysis was conducted on the data: where the tone throughout was analysed to be optimistic. Three narrative themes derived from analysis also; (1) The need of individualised hope, (2) ‘No man is an island’ the sense of belonging to the community and (3) Embodying the values of Christianity. The overall analysis suggests that utilising the narrative of the bible to cope with major life events is beneficial for mental health of men aged over 40. Implications are discussed.