DEATH, DYING AND BEREAVEMENT: THE HEALING PROCESS

This paper examines the process of bereavement. The paper begins with a description and discussion of the general symptoms associated with bereavement; this is followed by an examination of several factors contributing to variance in both the duration and intensity of the bereavement process. The review then examines psychotherapeutic interventions designed to facilitate the healing process. The final section of the review consists of a series of conclusions about the process formulated on the basis of the reviewed studies.

Bereavement is the emotional experience undergone by a person in reaction to the death of another who was significant in his or her life (Aiken, 1994). According to Sue, Sue and Sue (1994), there are a number of symptoms typically associated with bereavement. These include: depressed mood (often expressed through crying behavior, heavy sighing, and communications of sadness); difficulties sleeping, concentrating, and remembering things; difficulty eating; tiredness or fatigue; and feelings of hopelessness.

Most theoretical models of bereavement are stage models which is to say that they characterize the bereavement process as a series of steps, or phases that people undergo. The major models of bereavement are presented in Table 1. As can be seen from examination of this table, there are certain similarities and dissimilarities in these models.

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at can increase the difficulty of bereavement in cases where the loved one committed suicide is that relatives and friends are less likely to provide the kind of social support needed---perhaps because they have their own confusions about the nature of the death and don't feel they can adequately help in such situations. The authors do note that if the bereaved is female it is likely that she will receive more help than a male. O'Neil (1989) reports that individuals who lose a significant other due to AIDS are often at higher risk for dysfunctional grieving. Risk factors are said to include the risk of internalized homophobia and the absence of institutional recognition of the relationship. In research conducted on factors that moderate bereavement, Seguin, Lesage and Kiely (1995) found clear differences in the bereavement process depending upon differences in cause of death. In their study, the authors specifically examined for ways in which the bereavement process following suicide differed from other types of bereavement. Study participants were parents, 30 of whom were bereaved following their offsprings' suicide and 30 of whom were bereaved following the involvement of their offspring in a car accident. All survivo
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Cooley Ricacho, Model Stage, Zisook DeVaul, Lesage Kiely, Lohnes Kalter, Morin Welsh, Reichman Schwebel, Alter Axelrod, Cause Death, Bacon Regarding, bereavement process, associated bereavement, social support, model stage 1, factors moderate, duration intensity, unresolved grief, stage 1, model stage, stage 2, stage 3, intensity and/or duration, duration intensity bereavement, barocas reichman schwebel, and/or duration bereavement,
Approximate Word count = 4129
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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