1 / 17

Bereavement and Mourning: Psychological and Social Considerations

Bereavement and Mourning: Psychological and Social Considerations. Chapter 8: Understanding the Experience of Loss Chapter 11: Death in the Lives of Adults Models of Coping with Bereavement Grief Work Hypothesis Dual Process Model. Bereavement and Mourning.

zorana
Download Presentation

Bereavement and Mourning: Psychological and Social Considerations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Bereavement and Mourning: Psychological and Social Considerations Chapter 8: Understanding the Experience of Loss Chapter 11: Death in the Lives of Adults Models of Coping with Bereavement Grief Work Hypothesis Dual Process Model

  2. Bereavement and Mourning Models of Coping with Bereavement • “Grieving is crucial, necessary and unavoidable for successful adaptation." (Malkinson, 1996, p. 155) • "Those who show the most evidence of working through the loss are those who ultimately have the most difficulty in resolving what has happened." (Wortman & Silver, 1987, p. 207) • Centrality of grief work: dominant theoretical formulation

  3. Bereavement and Mourning Grief Work Hypothesis • need to confront experience of bereavement • suppression of loss pathological/detrimental health consequences • need to come to terms with loss • work toward detachment from deceased • mastery of pain • Acceptance ≠ better adaptation

  4. Bereavement and Mourning Limitations of Grief Work Hypothesis • Inadequate Representation of Bereavement-Related Phenomena (a) definition of the bereavement stressor (b) process (c) outcome variables

  5. Bereavement and Mourning (a) Bereavement as Stressor: • lack of specification of loss/change • lack of recognition of range of stressors • lack of recognition of multiplicity of losses • requires restoration of coherence in life narrative

  6. Bereavement and Mourning (b) Process Variables: Non-dynamic, Intrapersonal Conceptualization • Dynamics of confrontation-avoidance • Coping in social/interpersonal context

  7. Bereavement and Mourning (c) Outcome Variables • Medical model focus • Focus on psychological/physical symptomatology • Focus on negative “products” of grieving • Human suffering pathologized

  8. Bereavement and Mourning Lack of Universal Application • Gender specificity • Cultural specificity Conclusions • Identify facilitative types of confrontation/avoidance

  9. Bereavement and Mourning Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement (Stroebe & Schut, 1999) • Loss Oriented Coping • Restoration Oriented Coping • Oscillation ** PROCESS/COPING STRATEGIES ≠ goals/outcomes

  10. Dual Process Model of Bereavement

  11. Bereavement and Mourning Loss-Oriented Coping • focusing on & processing loss experience • focus on continuing relationship with deceased • range of emotional reactions: • pleasurable reminiscing  painful longing • happiness re end of suffering  despair of being left alone

  12. Bereavement and Mourning Restoration-Oriented Coping • restoration: NOT outcome variable • restoration: secondary sources of stress & coping with stress • Mastering new tasks • Re-organizing life • Developing new identity (finding meaning*) • range of emotional reactions: • pride of self-efficacy  anxiety re failure

  13. Bereavement and Mourning Oscillation • central distinguishing component of model • alternation between loss- & restoration-oriented coping • dynamic regulatory mechanism • oscillation key to mental/physical health outcome

  14. Bereavement and Mourning Implications: Social and Cultural Context of Grieving • reciprocal impact of multiple grievers • confrontation with reality of loss necessary but modulated • non-traditional coping patterns beneficial

  15. Bereavement and Mourning Gender Differences • poor health consequences: unmitigated communion & unmitigated agency Men benefit > from disclosure/emotion focused approach Women benefit > from problem focused approach adoption of non-traditional coping patterns reduces distress

  16. Bereavement and Mourning Advantages of DPM • dynamic: loss-oriented and restoration oriented • permits microlevel analyses of cognitive/emotional processes • value-free model (permits cultural and personal variation)

  17. Bereavement and Mourning Current Theoretical Status • extension/specification of grief work • compatibility with other theories (theoretical pluralism): • Attachment theory (Bowlby)  role of continuing bonds • Cognitive Stress theory (Lazarus & Folkman)  role of positive meaning re/construction (e.g., disclosure)

More Related