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ChapterI
suffering,sicknessandlossareanunavoidableelementofhumanlife,“manis
bornuntotrouble,asthesparksflyupward”(Job5,7).Today,patientsandthera-
pistsattemptto“tame”stressthatisunavoidablyencounteredinlifebyreverting
totheinnerresources.Theissueiswhethertheresourcesareavailable,whether
theyareeffective,andwhether“psychologicalsolace”isasolacethatbringstrue
relief.
1.3.4Negativeaspectsoffemalepersonalitythathinder
aconflict-freerelationshipwiththemale
Inthepastasnow,certainfeaturesofpersonalitywereappreciatedasregula-
torsofconflict-freebehaviour.TheBibledoesnotofferatheorytoexplicatethe
actionsofpeopleinconflict,yetonthebasisofobservationveryaptlydescribes
behaviourandfeaturesofpersonalitythatfacilitateconflict-freeexistence.
ThedidacticBookofEcclesiastesdescribesapersonalityintermsofitsfea-
tures,andglorifieswisdomandwisdom-relatedbehaviourevidencedintheac-
tionsofanindividual.Interestingly,wisdomispersonifiedasawomanwhoin-
vitesamanwholooksforhertoafeast:“Withthebreadofunderstandingshall
shefeedhim,andgivehimthewaterofwisdomtodrink”(Eccl.15,3;cf.24,18
andfollowing).Sheshouldneverberejected,butlovedwithallone’sbeing:
“Comeuntoherwiththywholeheart,andkeepherwayswithallthypower”
(Eccl.6,26).Yetnegativefeaturesmostfrequentlyassociatedwiththefemale
personalityarenotomittedquitetheopposite,awomanoccupiesmuchspace
intheBookofEcclesiastes,andthemannerinwhichsheispresentedismore
thanhostile.“Givemeanyplague,buttheplagueoftheheart:andanywicked-
ness,butthewickednessofawoman.[...]Ihadratherdwellwithalionand
adragon,thantokeephousewithawickedwoman.[...]Allwickednessisbut
littletothewickednessofawoman.[...]Astheclimbingupasandywayistothe
feetoftheaged,soisawifefullofwordstoaquietman.[...]Awickedwoman
abateththecourage,makethanheavycountenanceandawoundedheart.[...]
Givethewaternopassage;neitherawickedwomanlibertytogadabroad”(Eccl.
25,13-25)arebutfewexamples.Thereismuchmore:“Butagriefofheartand
sorrowisawomanthatisjealousoveranotherwoman[...].Anevilwifeisayoke
shakentoandfro:hethathathholdofherisasthoughheheldascorpion.
Adrunkenwomanandagadderabroadcausethgreatanger,andshewillnot
coverherownshame”(Eccl.26,6-8),and“Forfromgarmentscomethamoth,
andfromwomenwickedness.Betteristhechurlishnessofamanthanacourte-
ouswoman,awoman,Isay,whichbringethshameandreproach”(Eccl.42,13-14).
Thisdecidedlynegativeimageofawomandoes,however,containsomepositive