Non-Human Loss in Rural Areas

This paper examines non-human loss and its psychological effect upon rural people. It discusses the absence of any ritual response to loss, including farm loss, that would otherwise benefit the loss victims or the surrounding society. The dilemma is comparable to that of the "transitional person, " the immigrant experience following World War II. The transitional person became stuck between cultures, exhibiting typically adolescent behaviors. The therapeutic response involves loosening the all-or-nothing thinking, opening up the client to new possibilities and role transition. Personal resources to mitigate loss, such as personality, sense of social role, or value structure, are examined. A study of farm adolescents ' grief reactions to the sale and slaughter of animals is described. The paper concludes that, in a large number of cases of emotional reaction to loss, "recovery " is not a possibility or goal. When the loss is significant to us, we return to it as a theme throughout our lives, gleaning significance and meaning from our attachments as we mature. The positive aspect of loss is this c,:ntinuous process of integrating pieces into our role definition. (TES) **********************************************g***************X**Lt***** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document