부산대학교 도서관

The purpose of this study is to explore the coping methods for stress that pastors' wives experience in relationships with church members, and to make suggestions that can be applied to Christian counseling. A qualitative case study method was employed for understanding and explaining the complexity and meaning of the coping methods of four research participants. The analysis of the data resulted in the following categorical themes: active coping or hiding negative emotions at a distance, trying to control the mind without remembering them, trusting God and leaving it to the sovereign God, trying to find various breakthroughs to resolve, emotional support in conversation with others. It is found that these methods were influenced by personal resources and previous mistakes. The participants also tried to overcome inherent vulnerability and weakness. Eventually they recovered the meaning of life as pastor’s wife and gradually became more comfortable with the church members. Based on the results and analysis, the study provides some suggestions for Christian counseling for pastor’s wives: the motives and belief systems of pastor’s wives need to be explored more to understand internal dynamics of their mind, and caring atmosphere and personal network need to be established. The study suggests that doing these will help accept themselves before God as who they are and to form a relational support network for self-care. Finally the study suggests a qualitative case study for more serious mental issues like depression and anxiety disorder for in depth christian counseling the pastor’s wives.