I examined the process of recovery for women who have been depressed, in order to better understand women's experiences recovering from depression. The constant comparative method of grounded theory as developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967) served as the basis for analysis. Twenty-one women who identified themselves as having recovered from depression were interviewed, and the interviews were taped and transcribed at a later time. The data were analyzed through constant comparison of data with emerging conceptualizations of the recovery process.

The basic social psychological process by which women recover from depression is (Re)Defining My Self, and consists of six phases. My Self Before (1st phase) is the woman as she was before encountering depression, and is characterized by Being Clued Out, Living Out Role Expectations, Caring For Others while depleting her self, and Making Uninformed Decisions. She lives in the context of Conflictual Relationships, both with others and within her self. These five components seem to be the triggers that precipitated or led to the depression.

When the woman confronts her depression, she is Seeing the Abyss (2nd phase). The women used many Images and Metaphors to describe their depression experience, all of them reinforcing the sense of isolation and despair beyond sadness which they experienced. The woman Recognizes My Self As Different, particularly if she is thinking of suicide, and Feels Afraid. It is at this point that she Takes Action.

The woman then engages in two parallel processes, Telling My Story (3rd phase) and Seeking Understanding (4th phase). When Telling My Story, the woman begins by Struggling Within, trying to decide if she should tell anyone what she is experiencing or has experienced. She Controls Information based on how she believes others will respond to her, and what the possible consequences might be to her self. At the same time, she begins Seeking Understanding. This begins by Making a Provisional Hypothesis, which guides to whom she will speak.

In order to come to a true understanding, the woman must Clue In (5th phase). Cluing In is the sub process in which "the penny drops" and the woman is able to recognize a pattern to her life. Cluing in is a shift in Gestalt, so that after Cluing In, the world is a different place with new meanings. Part of Cluing In is Weighing the Evidence, in which the woman sifts through the information she has gained in Seeking Understanding and makes value judgments. Once she has Weighed the Evidence, the woman is able to begin (Re)Inventing My Self, in which a new sense of who she is emerges. Closely related to (Re)Inventing My Self, the woman begins Controlling the Right Stuff.

After this point, the woman is Seeing With Clarity (6th phase). She is able to look back and Acknowledge My Vulnerability and Celebrate My Wholeness. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).