ABSTRACT
The scope and relentlessness of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) crisis have presented severe social, medical, psychological, and personal challenges to our society. The past decade has revealed that living in the age of AIDS is not merely a matter of public health. The greatest challenge of the AIDS era may be maintaining a sense of personal control of one’s involvement in some of life’s most meaningful experiences, namely love, sexuality, and the nurturing of committed interpersonal relationships. The personal challenge of AIDS is not only to avoid disease, but to remain healthy while not allowing the spectre of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to compromise one’s sense of mastery of important life goals (Harowski, 1987).
