Grounded theory analysis of emotional pain

Seven adult children of alcoholic clients participated in interviews to explore the phenomenon of emotional pain. The analysis of the interviews was guided by the grounded theory method. The emerging model provided a detailed portrayal of emotionally painful experience, and outlined the stages in the process of working through pain. The essence of the experience is captured in the core category, The Broken Self, characterized by four properties including Woundedness, Disconnection, Loss of Self, and Awareness of Self, and a set of visceral and spatial descriptors. The Broken Self exists in relation to two other concepts of self that are not broken. The Covered Self refers to a self that has been organized in a way that conceals essential aspects of the self. The Transformed Self evolves out of the brokenness, as the individual integrates new information that has emerged as a result of experiencing a Broken Self.