What makes a difference in bereavement and grief - Research Paper Example

What Makes a Difference in Bereavement and Grief? The essay aims to address a two-fold objective, to wit:(1) to reflect on the assigned reading; and (2) to identify and explain your understanding of three of the five principal variables in the text that appear to make a difference in the ways in which bereavement and grief are experienced.What Makes a Difference in Bereavement and Grief? Grief and bereavement are often used interchangeably in cases of loss; however, grief and bereavement vary according to the principal variables involved.

Grief could refer to the feelings and behaviors associated with loss while bereavement may mean the actual fact of loss. C. A. Corr and D. A. Corr (2012, p. 244) identify five critical variables that influence experiences of bereavement and grief, namely: nature of the prior attachment or the perceived value, the way in which the loss occurred, coping strategies, developmental situation of the bereaved person, and the nature of the support that is available to the bereaved person after the loss.

Of the five principles stated, the author believed that the nature of the prior attachment or the perceived value, the way in which the loss occurred, and the coping strategies appear to make a difference in the ways in which bereavement and grief are experienced. First, prior attachments refer to the relationship one has built with the person who has died. The depth of that relationship cannot be appreciated unless that person has gone or died. Another way to look at this is the perceived value of the relationship; that is, the more important a person to the bereaving individual, the greater is the expression of grief.

For instance, if someone who died belongs to a member of our family, it will represent a loss that will need to be mourned as I have attachment to the person involved and he/she is also important or of value to me. In addition, relationships are multidimensional and may also affect difficultly grieving and bereavement if it is associated with the loss of the person who inflicted abuse or violence. The second principle which appeared to make a difference in the ways in which bereavement and grief are experienced is the way in which the loss takes place and the circumstances of the bereaved person.

From my perspective, grieving becomes difficult and loss is hard to accept if the person died in a tragic and traumatic way (e.g., suicide, violence, and natural disasters). Time also matters in the grieving and bereavement process. It would be harder to accept a sudden and an unexpected death than a foreseen one like in the case of terminal cancer patients. Similarly, death that comes after longer periods of care may also be hard to accept. Therefore, loss that are too early or too long may be the most difficult to grieve and bereave.

Lastly, the third principle states that the circumstances that surround the bereaved person at the time of the loss influence the overall bereavement process. This means that the health of a person affects his/her coping in times of loss. A person who is holistically healthy (physical, mental, and social dimension) may be able to cope with loss at ease compared to the unhealthy individual. However, a healthy individual might also find it difficult to grieve and bereave for the loss of loved ones if problems or stressful situation occurred simultaneously with the death of the loved ones.

Therefore, a grieving person is vulnerable to mental and emotional breakdown at experienced of death and stress. To make it simple, the principles which appeared to influence the grieving and bereaving process are degree of importance of the loved one, time or duration of death, and health of the grieving person.ReferencesCorr, C.A., & Corr, D.M. (2012). Coping with loss and grief. Death and dying: Life and living (7th ed.) (p. 234–280). California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.