To be able to include and document some of the themes I have chosen to explore within this production, it is vital that I research them. This is because some of them are dark but very real and will need to be documented carefully and truthfully to avoid any misrepresentation. Child Abduction is the most prominent theme to research as this is the focus and triggering event of the story. The loss of a child is an unimaginable concept that would cause a great deal of pain to the family of the child and anyone related to the child. Never knowing what happened to the child is a pain that no parent should ever have to endure, but for some parents out there, this has been a reality. Not only will I be investigating Abduction and the after effects it has on the parents, I want to look at the grieving process specifically so I can study particular emotions that the parent would be experiencing at the time.
Child abduction has become a public social issue that has captured the attention of many, largely in the past 2 decades. Several reports of child abduction have been portrayed in the media, particularly those of stranger circumstances, like the Madeline McCann case which is recognised all over the world. However, the over representation of such cases can trigger fear in parents which is often actually disproportionate to the actual risk. Although, we may have heard lots in the media about specific cases of Child Abduction, little is actually known about the grieving process of parents of victims and how someone would cope with such distresses. The emotional and psychological effects of child abduction can be severe, research suggests.
When it comes to writing about someone who has experienced the pain of losing a child to abduction - a fictional character in this case, I would like to ensure that I am writing with knowledge of how the person/character would be feeling.
I found an article which is titled:
'Understanding Stages of Grief applied to Parents Affected by Parental Child Abduction/Alienation/Retention' - A Medium Corporation
This article explains in 10 bullet points, the stages of grief and acceptance that parents who have lost a child to abduction are most likely to experience.
Stage 1: Shock and Denial - The article explains that during this stage, the parents will be given false reassurances from legal professionals and close family that it can be easily solved, resulting in a feeling of shock.
Stage 2: Emotions Erupt - Emotions can overflow their usual boundaries and will be expressed in many different ways.
Stage 3: Anger - This can lead to negative emotions towards the other parent or the authorities.
Stage 4: Sickness - The body acts out the pain through physical sickness including nausea and extreme fatigue.
Stage 5: Panic - Repeatedly asking themselves 'What is wrong with me' and wondering about their own mental health in regards to how they are dealing with the situation.
Stage 6: Guilt - They may wonder whether they are to blame for the situation they are in.
Stage 7: Loneliness - They may suffer from detachment issues with other family and not want to be around others.
Stage 8: Re-Entry Troubles - Once the effort is made to get back to a normal routine, the pain of the loss can make it difficult to be as trusting and open as before.
Stage 9: Hope - Some try to raise awareness in this stage, or document their experiences in a book to inform others.
Stage 10: Accepting and Affirming Reality - This is the final stage, and a parent in this stage would accept that they will no longer be a parent to that particular child again.
I found summarising the steps of this article very useful in understanding what each stage would be and even made some connections to the project. I think that this indicates that the grieving process is very slow and can take many forms and turning points. In some cases, it feels like the process makes progress towards the end but is never fully resolved as the child is not found. It was interesting to learn about all of the changing emotions that a parent may go through, including blaming of themselves and their partner for 'letting it happen', even though in most cases prevention would most likely have not been an option.
I think when applying these to a character, it would be useful to consider these if it were to be put into the production stage, as these would all need to be documented visually. With my knowledge of the different stages that a parent may go through in these unusual circumstances, it was very interesting in particular to learn about how consuming an event like this would be for a parent. I will need to think about this when writing about the effects of the abduction on the Mother character, as I want to reflect how she would be feeling and talk about how it becomes her main focus, as she slowly loses herself to it.
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