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  • 學位論文

照顧-親密關係中的性別:以罹患憂鬱症女性的男性照顧者為例

Gender in Caregiver-Partner Relationship: Take Male Caring of Female Suffering from Depression as an Example.

指導教授 : 沈秀華

摘要


本研究透過訪談14位與患有憂鬱症女性交往,同時為伴侶憂鬱症主要照顧者的異性戀男性,整理他們所處的照顧-伴侶關係生活樣貌、提供照顧的情境、面對的照顧困境,並分析男性照顧者如何在維繫照顧-伴侶關係的過程中做性別。 研究發現一部分男性照顧者開始照顧-伴侶關係的契機和動力,來自於拯救女性憂鬱症患者脫離情緒的紛擾;另一部分的男性照顧者有了愛情的關係後,因對於愛情腳本中的角色想像,開始承擔照顧責任。憂鬱症治療是漫長的過程,男性照顧者除了應對伴侶長期有低落情緒、自我價值感低落等情況外,同時也面對著憂鬱症狀中,不定期出現需要緊急處理的自殘或自殺情境。照顧憂鬱症患者不只在憂鬱症「發作」時進行,還包含了小心翼翼地維持患者情緒相對穩定。憂鬱症照顧的困難,是在於憂鬱症長期照顧中,常有突發狀況,再不易有喘息機會,又要面對照顧與維持自身生活的兩難抉擇。而難以獲得社會福利支持、精神疾病的社會汙名以及男性氣質養成,使得男性照顧者更加難以對外開口求援。在關係內外的種種困難夾擊之下,使男性照顧者被封閉於關係之中,常陷入孤立無援的困境。 因女性的社會性別養成,男性照顧者會面對許多女性憂慮症者需要透過訴說、哭泣等方式,來發洩自己情緒的情境,也造成情緒處理是男性照顧者的主要工作之一。這個研究發現,男性照顧者可大致分為「情緒需要控制」的監督者,以及「情緒需要發洩」的陪伴者兩類型。監督者與陪伴者兩種照顧類型,分別反映社會對性別氣質養成的影響、陽剛與陰柔氣質分別如何應對情緒的方式、照顧者與受照顧者之間的權力關係,以及反映男性照顧者透過作照顧同時實踐對自我性別氣質的想像。 監督者或陪伴者不必然招致伴侶關係的和諧或衝突。照顧-伴侶關係的和諧與否,有時是照顧和男友兩個角色有無衝突;有時則與女性受照顧者理想的伴侶關係樣貌,與男性照顧者正在形塑的伴侶關係樣貌一致與否有關。監督者和陪伴者兩種照顧角色,分別以不同的邏輯再製了父權結構和陽剛競爭。監督者轉化照顧工作內涵,把「應對女友情緒」轉變為「教導女友控制情緒」;陪伴者則呈現比拚「陰柔」的陽剛遊戲。

並列摘要


The study interviewed fourteen heterosexual males who were in romantic relationships with female depression patients as well as playing the role as the main caregivers of their partners. The study put together of a picture of “Caregiver-Partner Relationship”, documenting the scenario and the difficulty the male caregivers faced when taking care of their partners, and further analyzing how they maintained Caregiver-Partner Relationship when doing gender. The opportunity and motivation of how male caregivers initiate “Caregiver-Partner Relationship” are partially from helping female depression patients to get rid of emotional problems. Some male caregivers take the responsibility of taking care of female depression patients after romantic relationships are developed due to the gender stereotype in romantic relationships. A major daily task of being a caregiver to their intimate partners is to deal with and care for their love ones’ unstable emotional problem since female depression patients tend to talk more about their emotional troubles compared to their male counterparts. According to male caregivers, treating depression is a long journey, in which they cope with depressing emotions and low self-esteem of their female partners. Daily care also includes urgent self-harm and suicidal attempts. Taking care of depression patients happens not only just when depression “acts out”, but also includes carefully stabilizing the emotions of the patients. The difficulty of taking care of depression patients is to face unexpected situations in long term care, making it hard to take a break. Meanwhile, it is challenging for male caregivers to strike a balance between looking after others and themselves. What’s more, it is hard for male caregivers to ask for help due to hard-to-get social welfare, the negative impression on mental diseases from the society, and gender stereotype. With hurdles from within and outside of the relationships, male caregivers were further enclosed in the relationships without a vent to discuss or reflect on how they cared for their partners, which made them even more vulnerable in “Caregiver-Partner Relationship”. In “Caregiver-Partner Relationship”, male caregivers often had to deal with emotions of female partners. The ways they deal with emotions could be sorted in two: “Supervisor who needs to control one’s emotion” and “Companion whose emotions need to be let out.” Supervisor and Companion respectively stand for males and females’ ways of dealing with emotions based on the social gender expectations. Supervisor tends to establish a striking hierarchy of male domination and female submission. However, Companion doesn’t have said tendency. It also shows that male caregivers accomplish gender expression through giving care. Being Supervisor or Companion doesn’t necessary cause confrontation or bring harmony in a romantic relationship. Whether Caregiver-Partner Relationship is harmonious or not sometimes depends if the role of Caregiver conflicts with the role of Partner. Caregiver and Partner respectively reproduced patriarchy and masculinity competition. Supervisor transforms the caretaking job, turning “dealing with female partner’s emotions” to “teaching female partner how to control her emotions”. On the other hand, Companion shows “feminine” masculinity competition.

並列關鍵字

Depression Male Caregiver Care Work Intimacy Gender

參考文獻


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