What does it mean to be a prostitute?: A lived personal experience of women in prostitution

Abstract

This research used an exploratory open-ended inquiry, self-direct search and immersion in active experience according to Moustakas (1990) heuristic research guide and Patton (2002), Mayring (2000) and Flick's (1989) content analysis to investigate and discover a lived personal experiences of women in prostitution. Efficiency of the practice of psicho-social support and assistance to the clients depends on understandings of them. As Rogers (1961) notes, a sensitive emphatic understanding of another person's feelings and communications as they seem to him or her at that moment or internal frame of reference is an essential condition for constructive personality change. Focusing on women's in prostitution personal subjective experiences from their childhood to adulthood, this study examines their obstacles they faced, relationships and resources before becoming involved them in prostitution. The obstacles they faced with during their growing up was the main area of focus in this study examining those women managed lived experience of being-in-the-world. The aim of this study was to provide a "voice" to women in prostitution revealing what it means to be prostituted women. The personal experiences of women in prostitution were understood throughout their transmitted subjective interpretation or verbally "relived" their personal experience once again. In this study the reintegration of derived knowledge of discovery and synthesis of researchers' intuition and tacit understanding in portraying research participants as whole persons were involved as well. © De Boeck Université.