Polygamy through the lens of family and couple psychology: Adaptation strategies, emotional regulation, and preservation of self-esteem among Muslim co-wives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71105/Keywords:
polygamy, marital psychology, co-wives, emotional regulation, BurundiAbstract
Context: In Burundi, Muslim polygamy exists within a normative duality: while legally prohibited, it continues to be practiced and religiously justified in the name of Sharia. Objective: This article analyzes, through the lens of conjugal and family psychology, the adaptation strategies, emotional regulation processes, and self-esteem preservation mechanisms deployed by Muslim co-wives in Burundi. Methodology: A qualitative investigation, based on in-depth semi-structured interviews, was conducted with eight Muslim co-wives residing in Bujumbura, particularly in the neighborhoods of Buyenzi and Kamenge. Data were processed using thematic analysis. Results: The study reveals complex psychological work. To maintain a privileged dyadic bond, the participants cultivate exclusive intimacy and measured conflict management. Inter-co-wife dynamics oscillate between selective solidarity and rivalry, regulated by patience, distancing, or recourse to the sacred. Emotional regulation involves cognitive reframing and the active suppression of negative effects. Finally, self-esteem is negotiated in a dialectical tension between pride derived from identification with the religious system and a narcissistic wound linked to feelings of injustice. Conclusion: This empirical research highlights the agency and sophisticated psychological skills developed by co-wives to adapt to polygamy, thereby moving beyond an analytical framework focused solely on victimization. The results underscore the necessity of considering these adaptation strategies in any psychosocial support.
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