Bereavement

Throughout time, people have used various mechanisms to help with the process of bereavement. These processes are defined as “death rituals”, and different cultures, societies and religions have their own specific way of experiencing these death rituals. In ways that are similar or different from one another, death rituals help with the process of coping with the loss of a dear family member, a beloved member of a religious organization, or a recognized member of society. Death rituals are practiced by every culture and religion, and the main focus of these procedures is to help family members relieve emotional pain caused by the tragic, unexpected or expected loss of a loved one.

The book, Lament For a Son, written by Nicholas Wolterstorff talks about his pain and grief after losing his 25-year-old son (Joy, 2009). His son died while on a mountain-climbing expedition. Dr. Wolterstorff has several books published during his career as a philosophical theology professor in Yale Divinity. However, he wrote Lament for a Son with a different journal style since it is a personal thing for him. The book is similar to a journal as he narrates the events that happened before and after his son’s death. The emotions expressed in the book are common among people who lose close relatives. What matters is how a person handles the issue. Kubler-Ross invented the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptancethat explain the escalation of grief when stricken by bad news (Axelrod, 2004). The paper looks into the book and its relation to the five stages of grief.

Death is a universally experienced phenomenon. In the United States alone, over 2.6 million people die each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). For practitioners, it is of utmost importance to better understand the process of grief to develop better interventions for bereaved individuals.

The Two-Track Model of Bereavement is a model that states loss is conceptualized along two axes. Track I pertains to the biopsychosocial functioning in the event of a loss and Track II pertains to the bereaved’s continued emotional attachment and relationship to whoever is deceased. The effect of Track I is seen through the bereaved’s functioning, including their anxiety, their self-esteem and self-worth, and their depressive affect and cognitions. Noting the ability of one to invest in life tasks after experiencing a loss indicates how they are responding to the loss of the deceased. This Track is seen as an expression similar to one of trauma, or crisis. Track II holds that the bereaved has difficulty physically separating from the deceased. This can be seen in emotional, interpersonal, or cognitive ways. It is shown through imagery and memories that the bereaved experiences surrounding the deceased, whether positive or negative, as well as the emotional distance from them. These pictures in the bereaved’s head explain both the cognitive and emotional view of the person who has died (Rubin, 1999).

The grieving that individuals experience with death is unique, but the main stages are universal across cultures (Axelrod, 2017). There are five stages of grief. Nicolas Wolterstorff’s story, Lament for a Son, addresses these five stages as he tries to find joy after the loss of his son. The meaning and significance of death in light of the Christian narrative is also addressed in the story. Having a hope of the resurrection can help comfort individuals in situations similar to Wolterstorff (Wolterstorff, 1978).

A universal theme that all human beings encounter that triggers emotional and physical aspects is grief. However, different cultures experience bereavement in a variety of ways (Pomeroy & Garcia, 2009). From a priest’s standpoint, Hater (2017) shared how he learned how to cope with death when he spent time with his ill father and during his priesthood. While he remained at his father’s side during his sickness, he stated how the emotional event was like an up and down rollercoaster, but at the end of the journey, the Holy Spirit invites us into a new life, which renews hope. Nevertheless, Hater (2017) discloses how the grief process helps us become stronger and support others who are psychologically and physically suffering from a loss of

Grief is the act following the loss of a loved one. While grief and bereavement are normal occurrences, the grief process is a social construct of how someone should behave. The acceptable ways that people grieve change because of this construct. For a time it was not acceptable to grieve; today, however, it is seen as a necessary way to move on from death (Scheid, 2011).The grief process has been described as a multistage event, with each stage lasting for a suggested amount of time to be considered “normal” and reach resolution. The beginning stage of grief is the immediate shock, disbelief, and denial lasting from hours to weeks (Wambach, 1985). The middle stage is the acute mourning phase that can include somatic and emotional turmoil. This stage includes acknowledging the event and processing it on various levels, both mentally and physically. The final stage is a period of

Funerals are a dark, gloomy, and sometimes emotional subject for many people. Death rituals like funerals are times where we as a community come together to mourn someone’s loss; it is depressing and often turbulent. But we often overlook the positive aspects of events like these in favor of their negative ones. We can’t ignore the grief that comes with funerals and loss, but we can investigate how funerals are beneficial to those trying to cope with bereavement. In fact, funerals and death rites have many psychological benefits. This is pervasive to grief rituals no matter the culture or the time period: for example, the people of Ancient Greece and the people of modern-day America.

Death has been perceived different in different cultures as well as have a tendency for impacting individual personal as a comparison to the group. Outline Introduction as well as Thesis Statement Author’s Perception Perception of the Death: what death is?

The bereavement role is defined as temporary in duration and allows the bereaved to be excused from daily responsibilities, to be dependent on others , and adjust to life after the death of a loved one (Leming & Dickinson, 2016, p. 492). The bereavement role can also be seen, for example, when individuals play into the “sick role” (Leming & Dickinson, 2016, p.492). When individuals are sick, they are excused from certain responsibilities for a brief period of time. This can be the same outlook for the bereavement role. Other studies suggest the definition of the bereavement role as a “state of suffering or loss” (Hashim, Eng, Tohit & Wahab, 2013). When an individual is placed in this role due to the death of a loved one, the bereaved individual turns to others for emotional support and gives up their control of responsibilities to others (Leming & Dickinson, 2016,

Loss is a phenomenon that is experienced by all. Death is experienced by family members as a unique and elevated form of loss which is modulated by potent stages of grief. Inevitably, everyone will lose someone with whom they had a personal relationship and emotional connection and thus experience an aftermath that can generally be described as grief. Although bereavement, which is defined as a state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one, is a universal experience it varies widely across gender, age, and circumstance (definitions.net, 2015). Indeed the formalities and phases associated with bereavement have been recounted and theorized in literature for years. These philosophies are quite diverse but

The life transition of death and dying is inevitably one with which we will all be faced; we will all experience the death of people we hold close throughout our lifetime. This paper will explore the different processes of grief including the bereavement, mourning, and sorrow individuals go through after losing someone to death. Bereavement is a period of adaptation following a life changing loss. This period encompasses mourning, which includes behaviors and rituals following a death, and the wide range of emotions that go with it. Sorrow is the state of ongoing sadness not overcome in the grieving process; though not pathological, persistent

“Ordinary people” everywhere are faced day after day with the ever so common tragedy of losing a loved one. As we all know death is inevitable. We live with this harsh reality in the back of our mind’s eye. Only when we are shoved in the depths of despair can we truly understand the multitude of emotions brought forth. Although people may try to be empathetic, no one can truly grasp the rawness felt inside of a shattered heart until death has knocked at their door. We live in an environment where death is invisible and denied, yet we have become desensitized to it. These inconsistencies appear in the extent to which families are personally affected by death—whether they

I know I keep mentioning my great grandmother, but it is one of the most recent personal experiences I have with bereavement, and for those who are tired of the broken record, I apologize....

Death is inevitable part of human experience, which is often associated with fear of unknown, separation, and spiritual connection. Death is an individual experience, which is based on unique perceptions and beliefs. Fear of death and dying seems to be a universal phenomenon, which is closely associated with apprehension and uneasiness. Death is allied with permanent loss, thus personal experiences of grief are similar in many different cultures. There are different mourning ceremonies, traditions, and behaviors to express grief, but the concept of permanent loss remains unchanged in cross cultural setting. With this paper I will identify cross-cultural perspectives on death and dying, and will analyze