Menopause is a biological and psychological phenomenon
in the lives of middle-aged women. It is important
to understand how biological variation is linked
to the subjective experience of menopause. In different
cultures menopause is seen variously as a normal
passage in life, and as a prototype of an illness, the
symptoms associated with it being seen to need medical
assistance.
These different views are influenced by cognitions,
attributions and pre-existing beliefs about menopause
and their relationship with psychological and social dimensions
such as changing of roles, occupation, aging,
stress among others. Although there is considerable
variability in symptom appraisal within cultures, the
meaning of menopause is also different across cultures.
As a part of life, menopause is not necessarily traumatic,
does not place healthy women at risk of an affective
disorder, and is considered by some to be a normal
phase that may or may not be accompanied by
physical discomfort (Berkun, 1986).For these reasons,
in the context of human aging menopause should be
viewed as a process and not an event (Lock, 1986).
The weight of evidence from anthropology and sociology
strongly suggest that the experience of the menopause
is shaped by historical factors and environmental
and cultural contexts, and by the individual’s personal history, both in the biological and in the social
senses. Psychological research is needed to determine
the cognitive, emotional and social mediators of these
factors.RESUMO: A menopausa B um fedmeno biologico ,e psicologic0
na vida das mulheres de meia idade. E importante
compreender como C que a alteraqiio biologica se
relaciona com a experiencia subjectiva na menopausa.
Em diferentes culturas a menopausa C vista de formas
diferentes: como uma transiqlo normal da vida ou, entlo,
como prototipo de uma doenqa, cujos sintomas
associados justificariam assisthcia midica.
Estes pontos de vista diferentes siio influenciados
pelas cogniqBes, atribuiqBes e crenqas sobre a menopausa
e pela sua relaqiio com dimensBes psicologicas e
sociais, tais como mudanqa de papCis, profissiio, envelhecimento
e stress, entre outras. Tal como ha grande
variabilidade na avaliaqiio dos sintomas dentro da
mesma cultura, tambCm o significado da menopausa C
diferente de cultura para cultura.
Como parte integrante da vida, a menopausa n%o e
necessariamente traumatica, niio coloca a mulher saudavel
em risco de perturbaqlo afectiva e C considerada
por alguns como uma fase normal que pode ser ou n%o
acompanhada por desconforto fisico (Berkun, 1986).
Por estas razBes, a menopausa deve ser considerada
um process0 e niio um acontecimento, no context0 do
envelhecimento humano (Lock, 1986). A antropologia
e a sociologia sugerem fortemente que a experiCncia
da menopausa e influenciada por factores historicos e
ambientais, pelos contextos culturais e pela historia
individual, quer no sentido biologico quer no social. E
necessaria investigaqiio psicologica com a finalidade
de determinar OS mediadores cognitivos, emocionais e
sociais desses factores
