¶ … Catholic Dilemma The Case Study of Paula: A Catholic Dilemma

Paula is from Madrid, Spain. She is 29 years old and married to Carlos for the last 7 years. She works for Air Europa as a flight attendant. She still lives in Madrid, Spain with Carlos. Patricia and Maria aged 6 and 3 years respectively, are the couple's two daughters.

In terms of educational background, Paul and Carlos attended Catholic school in their home city of Madrid. Living with Carlos and her two daughters she is experiencing an emotional problem concerning the man she is currently dating and has been dating for one year, Pedro. She wants to leave Carlos for Pedro. Especially because Carlos' mother is increasing stress and tension between Carlos and Paula.

2.

Paula is European. She is from the Basque region. Therefore, she is Caucasian, from Southern Europe. She appears heterosexual with her marriage and dating preferences being of the opposite gender (male). She is working class to middle class, having a job as flight attendant. Flight attendants do not earn high salaries and Pedro's job was not discussed. Raised as a Catholic, they believe in Christ and believe in marriage. Catholics do not like the idea of divorce, preferring to stay married (Gerner, 2008). She is Caucasian and European, living in Europe. Therefore, her culture reflects that. For example, Spain is part of the European Union (EU). The EU has a system where anyone from the EU can travel to and from the countries without need for a visa (Boratynaski & Brzezinaski, 2006).

3.

The presenting problem is Paula cheating on Carlos with Pedro. She is a married woman with two young girls. She also has to contend with the relationship Carlos has with his mother. She is Catholic. These all play a role in how she deals with the situation of infidelity....

Should she divorce Carlos to be with Pedro, she may be ostracized from the culture she grew up with and lose her support system.
a.

The main issue Paula has is with the idea of generating instability for her two young daughters and abandoning her roots and beliefs as a Catholic. Pedro is trying to get Paula to leave Carlos, but fails to understand what she may relinquish in the process. This potential loss of self, of heritage may create more problems for Paula then staying with her husband Carlos. Hence why she feels conflicted.

b.

Being from Spain, Catholicism is a large part of many Spaniards lives. The issue of divorce is something frowned upon for many Catholics. For Paula to even consider a divorce after having an affair is major issue. Most people would frown upon her having an affair. Adding to that a divorce, it may spell problems for her on a moral basis and from a Spanish culture perspective.

c.

Paula's main coping strategy is to have an affair with Pedro. Carlos and his mother create stress for Paula. Whenever she feels stress, she runs to Pedro and engages in romantic activities with him as a form of stress relief. She does care about her daughters and enjoys being a mother and a Spanish woman. This can be seen as a strength because she is aware of how this situation could negatively impact her two daughters.

d.

Because Paula lives in Spain and is a Spaniard, she has no experience with racism. She works with people from Spain. Pedro is a coworker. She is also not discriminated against. As a woman working as a flight attendant, she is not in a job where she is being treated less than due to stepping over the boundaries of gender stereotypes. Therefore, she has not experienced any discrimination or racism.

4a.

The initial assessment…