Thanatology - Psychology - Chapter 4 - Theories of Grief

Define Grief Syndrome?

A set of symptoms associated with loss

Define Grief Work

A process occurring with loss, aimed at loosening the
attachment to the dead for reinvesting in the living

What work did Bowlby produce? In what year did he produce it?

In 1969 John Bowlby pioneered a work on attachment and loss called “Theory of Attachment”
• Describes attachment behavior as any behavior people
develop and maintain that enables them to be close to another individual.
• When one person in this relationship dies, the other will
display signs of protest such as weeping, anger, sadness, and eventually move to a gradual acceptance of the loss.

Describe Bowlby’s work.

• Humans have an instinctive need to form strong
attachments to others
• Attachments come from a need for security and safety
• Situations that endanger the bond of attachment give rise to emotional reactions
• The greater the potential loss, the more intense the
reaction.

What was the accident that Eric Lindemann studied? In what year did it occur?

Studied Survivors in 1943 from a nightclub fire (Coconut
Grove) in Boston, MA.

What did Lindemann suggest regarding symptoms of grief? What were some of the symptoms?

• Suggested many of the symptoms were physical
• Somatic Distresses of:
• Tightness in the throat
• Choking
• Shortness of breath
• Need for sighing
• Empty feeling in abdomen
• Lack of muscular power

What are some common symptoms of the grief syndrome?

• Somatic or Bodily Distress
• Preoccupation with the image of the deceased
• Guilt relating to the deceased and the circumstances of the death
• Hostile reactions
• Inability to function as they had before the death

What phrase did Lindemann coin? Describe some of the processes.

• Coined the phrase “Grief Work”
• Emancipation from bondage to the deceased
• Readjustment to the environment in which the deceased is missing
• Formation of new relationships

What steps are involved in grief work?

• Grief work progresses through a number of steps
• Change in one’s self concept
• Change in goals / aspirations
• Change in relationships to the outside world

What was Kubler-Ross’ work entitled.

• Wrote “Stages of Dying”
• It is generally accepted (even by Kubler-Ross, recently), you do not go through the stages “in order”.

What are the stages of loss according to Kubler-Ross?

Has a theory consisting of 5 stages
• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

Do you go through the stages in order

No, you don’t
It is generally accepted (even by Kubler-Ross, recently),
you do not go through the stages “in order”.

What is the acronym for the stages of loss according to Kubler-Ross?

DABDA

Describe each of the stages - Denial

• Defense mechanism by which a person is unable or refuses to
see things as they are because facts are threatening to the self
• Overwhelming sense of unreality
• Time when the mind is trying to comprehend the event but is
unable to accept the full impact
• “This can’t be happening to me”

Describe each of the stages - Anger

• Blame directed at another person
• “Why me?” / “Why not someone bad?”

Describe each of the stages - Bargaining

• Attempting to make deals to stop or change the diagnosis by begging, wishing, praying not to die, or at least death.

Describe each of the stages - Depression

• Overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, frustration,
bitterness, self pity, mourning the impending loss of hopes, dreams, and plans for the future
• Person feels a lack of control or numbness

Describe each of the stages - Acceptance

• Knowing the impending death is real, not liking the fact, but realizing you must go on.

Do needs change according to the stages of loss according to Kubler-Ross?

Needs change according to stage a person is in

What are some general things according to Kubler-Ross that should be done regardless of the stage a person is in?

• Encouragement not to lose hope or become resigned to dying
• Reassure patient’s feeling of hope that everything
medically and humanly possible is being done to help

How many tasks does Worden have in his “Tasks of Mourning”?

4 Tasks of Mourning

What are the tasks according to Worden? Describe each of them - Accept the Reality of Loss

• Even if death is expected, there is always a sense that it never happened
• Ranges from normal short-term slight distortion to abnormal delusion

What are the tasks according to Worden? Describe each of them - Experience the pain of grief & express emotions associated with it

• Pain can be emotional and/or physical
• If pain is not honestly experienced and associated feelings expressed, it can last a lifetime.

What are the tasks according to Worden? Describe each of them - To Adjust to the Environment in Which the Deceased is Missing

• Each person plays a number of roles in others’ lives
• One must adjust to doing without all the person was and did
• One may have to do things they have never done
• One must also deal with the loneliness accompanying the loss

What are the tasks according to Worden? Describe each of them - Withdraw emotional energy and reinvest it in another relationship

• May be difficult because often the bereaved tries to hold onto the past attachment
• Fear of letting go and frightened of forgetting the deceased or investing in another relationship that may also end and cause her more pain

What is Freud’s theory? What are some symptoms?

Theorized that a major task of grieving is to withdraw the
libido (energy of love and pleasure) that was invested in the deceased.
• This causes symptoms such as:
• Dejection
• Loss of interest in the outside world
• Loss of capacity to love
• Self reproach

What is the best way to let go of bonds according to Freud?

Mourning is the work of letting go of these libidinal bonds