Frozen Grief Disenfranchised Grief: Frozen Grief sebagai Satu Tema pada Pemilik Kucing yang Bersedih
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29313/bcsps.v6i2.24275Keywords:
Frozen grief, disenfranchised grief, kehilangan kucing peliharaan, fenomenologi hermeneutik, invalidasi sosialAbstract
Abstract. The loss of a pet cat can trigger profound grief comparable to losing a family member; however, it often lacks social recognition, thereby developing into disenfranchised grief. Under such conditions of minimal validation, the individual's grieving process may become obstructed, giving rise to the phenomenon of frozen grief a state of being stuck in non-adaptive grief stages. This study aims to explore the experience of frozen grief among cat owners experiencing disenfranchised grief following the death of their companion animals. A qualitative approach using van Manen's (2016) hermeneutic phenomenological design was employed to deeply understand the meaning of participants' lived experiences. Five participants aged 22–23 years who had lost their cats within 6-48 months and experienced social invalidation participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenological thematic reflection. The findings reveal that frozen grief manifests in three main patterns: (1) denial and avoidance as self-protective mechanisms against the reality of loss; (2) rigid and stagnant continuing bonds behaviors; and (3) feelings of being stuck that hinder the adaptation process to loss. This study confirms that frozen grief is a direct psychological consequence of the lack of safe spaces for mourning due to social invalidation. Social validation and recognition of the human-animal bond are crucial factors that can prevent stagnation in the grieving process and promote more adaptive grief resolution
Abstrak. Kehilangan kucing peliharaan dapat memicu kedukaan mendalam yang setara dengan kehilangan anggota keluarga, namun sering kali tidak memperoleh pengakuan sosial sehingga berkembang menjadi disenfranchised grief. Dalam kondisi minim validasi tersebut, proses berduka individu dapat terhambat dan memunculkan fenomena frozen grief, yaitu kebuntuan dalam menjalani tahapan kesedihan yang adaptif. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengeksplorasi pengalaman frozen grief pada pemilik kucing yang mengalami disenfranchised grief setelah kehilangan hewan peliharaannya. Pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain fenomenologi hermeneutik van Manen (2016) digunakan untuk memahami makna pengalaman hidup partisipan secara mendalam. Lima partisipan berusia 22–23 tahun yang kehilangan kucing dalam kurun waktu 6–48 bulan terakhir dan mengalami invalidasi sosial berpartisipasi dalam wawancara semi-terstruktur. Analisis data menggunakan refleksi tematik fenomenologi hermeneutik. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa frozen grief termanifestasi dalam tiga pola utama: (1) denial dan avoidance sebagai bentuk perlindungan diri dari realitas kehilangan; (2) perilaku mempertahankan continuing bonds yang bersifat kaku dan stagnan; serta (3) perasaan terjebak (stuck) yang menghambat proses adaptasi terhadap kehilangan. Penelitian ini menegaskan bahwa frozen grief merupakan konsekuensi psikologis langsung dari minimnya ruang aman untuk berduka akibat invalidasi sosial. Validasi dan pengakuan sosial terhadap makna hubungan manusia-hewan menjadi faktor krusial yang dapat mencegah kebuntuan proses berduka dan mendorong resolusi kesedihan yang lebih adaptif
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