Attachment and continuing bonds in bereavement

The subject of this paper is the attachment in a relationship being one of the factors which co-form the grieving process after conjugal loss. In this integrative study about the grieving process after the loss of a partner due to sudden or expected death one or two years after the loss, the author determined that the relationship between partners represents an important indicator of the grieving process. Due to the sensitive nature of the process, the method used was a case study (seven participants were interviewed) and a circular research process. The functioning of grieving persons in different areas of life was assessed with a semi-structured interview, specifically designed for this research, and with an adapted version of the Attachment Test, a part of Picture Test of Separation and Individuation (Žvelc and Žvelc, 2000). It was ascertained that particular contents in the grieving process are specifically connected with the type of relationship prior to death (ambivalent and closely connected/dependent relationship) and the experiencing of the present position in relation to the deceased partner. Due to the fact that knowledge about possible maintenance/continuance of the bond between the partners has only recently become the locus of empirical research, the present study could not yet fully evaluate what kind of experience of current relationship position towards the partner contributes to healthy separation and individuation processes, i.e. grieving. Although the findings are limited to the specific context of each individual participant, the case study ascertained certain patterns in the relation between the grieving process and the attachment between partners, which indicates that there is a possibility of these in the wider population