Coping Strategy pada Kandidat Kepala Desa Tak Terpilih

The Coping Strategies of Unsuccessful Village Head Candidates

Penelitian ini membahas pengalaman kekalahan kandidat pemilihan kepala desa (pilkades), dampak

kekalahan, dan coping strategy atas permasalahan yang menyertainya. Dua calon pilkades tak terpilih di

Desa Makmur, Sidoarjo bertindak sebagai responden penelitian. Setelah mengumpulkan data melalui

wawancara semi-terstruktur, peneliti mengolah data dengan teknik analisis tematik. Ditemukan dua dampak

utama kekalahan pilkades, yaitu kekecewaan pribadi dan kerugian finansial. Kekecewaan pribadi membuat

responden mengalami stress berat dan penurunan kesehatan, sedangkan kerugian finansial membuat

keluarga mereka menderita kekecewaan kolektif. Namun, kedua responden berhasil mengatasi problem

pasca-kekalahan pilkades itu dengan sekaligus mengerahkan problem-focused coping dan emotion-focused

coping. Emotion-focused coping mereka berupa rekreasi, intensifikasi ibadah, sosialisasi bersama tetangga,

bersibuk diri dalam kerja, dan berbesar hari menerima kekalahan. Ada pun problem-focused coping mereka

berwujud persiapan psikis menerima kekalahan, memberikan keluarga mereka pemahaman dan rasionaliasi

tentang alasan mereka mengikuti pilkades dan kerugian finansial akibat kekalahan di dalamnya.

Kata kunci: stress, coping strategy, calon kepala desa gagal

This research is a study of how unsuccessful village head candidates experienced their defeat and coped

with the impact of their failure. Having conducted semi-structured interviews with two unsuccessful

candidates from the village of Makmur, Sidoarjo, the researcher interpreted the data using a thematic

analysis. The study discovered that the defeat caused the respondents to suffer post-election stress

disorder, which undermined their physical and mental health. The failure also caused the respondents’ family

to sustain a huge financial loss, plunging them into a deep frustration. After a while, however, the responded

managed to cope with their problems using two strategies: emotion-focused coping and problem-focused

coping. The former took the form of recreational activities, socializing with neighbors, increased piety,

keeping busy with work, and coming to terms with their failure. The latter took the form of pre-election mental

preparation, explanation to family members why they ran for village head, and rationalization of the financial

loss arising from the defeat.