Grief and Bereavement: Theoretical Perspectives

The loss of a loved one is a ubiquitous human experience, which is often regarded as a serious threat to health and well-being. This topic is relevant to the study of geropsychology for two reasons. First, there is consensus among researchers and practitioners alike that coming to terms with personal loss is a critical part of successful adult development (Baltes and Carstensen 1996). Second, losses tend to accumulate in late life. This can place survivors in a state of chronic stress and undermine their capacity to deal with any particular loss. The death of a loved one provides an excellent arena to study basic processes of stress and adaptation to change. Unlike many stressful life experiences, the death of a person is irrevocable and cannot be altered by the coping efforts of survivors. Indeed, the major coping task faced by those who have experienced the death of a loved person is to reconcile themselves to a situation that cannot be changed and find a way to carry on with their own lives. The most common loss of a loved one for older adults is the death of a spouse (Carr et al. 2006). Therefore, the bulk of research on late life losses has focused on this type of loss. However, older adults may also experience other types of losses including the death of a child, grandchild, sibling, or close friend. These can also be major losses and may each have unique implications and challenges for the person who is faced with them. Research insights shedding light on these experiences, however, are much more limited. It is thus important to keep in mind that much of our understanding of and thinking about late life losses is derived from work on spousal loss. Furthermore, it is important to define the key terms that will be used throughout this entry. The term bereavement is derived from the Latin word rumpere (to break, to carry, or tear away) and refers to the objective situation of a person who has suffered the loss of someone significant. In most cases, bereavement robs survivors of love and companionship, as well as future hopes and plans that they expected to share with the person who died. Grief is derived from Latin gravare (to weigh down) and refers to the emotional experience of a number of psychological, behavioral, social, and physical reactions to one’s loss. The word mourning is derived from the Latin word memoir (mindful). It refers to actions expressive of grief which are shaped by social and cultural practices and expectations. Pointing to the timeless message of the original meanings of these terms, Jeter (1983) commented that “as the ancients, people today surviving the death of a family member do feel robbed, weighted down, and are mindful of the past, knowing that life will never be the same” (p. 219). But how do individuals cope with such an experience? To address this question, models and approaches that seem most influential to current understanding of bereavement and grief are examined