Love and Loss: Grief - Presentation PDF

Love and Loss: Grief Grief and sadness Grief is felt when someone you love dies. Typically studied in terms of grief when a spouse dies. Sadness is part of grieving, since the prototypical cause of sadness is loss. However, there are four differences between sadness and grief: –Time –Multiple and co...

Love and Loss: Grief Grief and sadness Grief is felt when someone you love dies. Typically studied in terms of grief when a spouse dies. Sadness is part of grieving, since the prototypical cause of sadness is loss. However, there are four differences between sadness and grief: –Time –Multiple and conflicting vs. one and related emotions –Cognitive representation –Coping Grief also includes positive emotions Grieving commonly involves positive memories and thoughts about the past, as well as the expression of positive emotions. – Expressing positive emotions earlier in bereavement predicts better long-term adjustment. Why positive emotions? The “pendulum with friction” oscillation pattern Persisting oscillation seems maladaptive. Grief is negative and positive emotions Benefits of positive emotions: –Positive emotions help to regulate negative emotions (see Ong et al. reading). –Bereaved individuals who express positive emotions may be liked more by others, which facilitates social integration. Varieties of grief experience 50%-85% of bereaved individuals seem to have a common grief pattern. Moderate disruptions during initial months, with an approximate return to normal by the end of the first year. Some of these people (around 15%) show serious disruptions later on. Varieties of grief experience 15% to 50% of people show minimal grief right from the start, in that there is little or no overt signs of disrupted functioning. None of these show serious disruptions later on. There is no evidence for a delayed grief reaction. “Hidden grief” seems good: pattern of expressed emotion/arousal dissociation Varieties of grief experience Subjective reactions – Preoccupation and confusion – Disturbances of identity – Sense of disturbed future – The long-term search for meaning Varieties of grief experience Subjective reactions (continued) – Dysphoria: negative emotions, as mentioned earlier. – Pining or yearning – Loneliness Varieties of grief experience Health deficits – Health complaints – Immune functioning – Mortality Varieties of grief experience Disrupted social and occupational functioning – Social withdrawal and isolation – Negative impact on others – Role disruptions – Difficulties with new relationships Varieties of grief experience Positive aspects of bereavement – Positive thoughts, beliefs, and appraisals – Positive emotions and laughter Theoretical perspectives “Grief work” theory: The assumption is that the grieving person experiences great distress initially. The goal is to detach oneself from the lost partner, to relinquish the attachment bond with the deceased. –This is a simplified view based on some more nuanced writings by Freud. Theoretical perspectives “Grief work” theory: This view was the most important one in research on bereavement for many years. –In fact, there is very little evidence to support this grief work theory. First, initial distress or symptoms depression may be mild or may not occur at all. Absence of significant distress does not indicate pathology. There is also no evidence of a delayed grief reaction after no initial distress. Theoretical perspectives –In fact, there is very little evidence to support this grief work theory (continued). The “working through” after initial distress/depression involves focusing on what has happened and coming to terms with all the implications. This is supposed to lead to reduced distress. However, research suggests the opposite: More preoccupation with the loss early on is often tied to more distress later. Theoretical perspectives Recovery is expected after the working through, yet in fact there may be a substantial minority that still show symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression) many years later. Complete resolution may never be achieved. In sum, there is little support for “grief work” theory. Similarly, there is little support for other stage models of grief… Theoretical perspectives Stage theories of grief: People go through a standard set of stages when experiencing grief. – This is a view that has continued to be advanced in psychological research into the early 2000s. – This is a view that has been widely encouraged in popular writings, such as in On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the five stages of loss (2004) Elizabeth Kübler Ross & Kessler Theoretical perspectives Stage theories of grief: People go through a standard set of stages when experiencing grief. – The Kübler Ross stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. – In fact, there is very little evidence to support this stage theory, or any other one. Theoretical perspectives Trauma model of grief – Data supports this perspective, notably with regard to people having PTSD-like symptoms in bereavement, particularly for violent-death cases (suicide, accidents, homicide). Theoretical perspectives Attachment perspective: Grief is behaviour that fosters proximity with the object of attachment. – In adulthood, grief shows an initial protest response, followed by despair and disorganization once the person realizes that the deceased cannot return. In this respect, this is a stage model, and this aspect of the attachment perspective does not hold up. – However, the attachment perspective is supported in other respects, such as with continuing bonds. Theoretical perspectives Continuing bonds: People may maintain a positive bond with the deceased: Widows and widowers “may retain a strong sense of the continued presence of their partner” (Bowlby, 1980, p. 96). – The psychological relationship remains even as the actual day to day interactions are gone. – This may allow for a greater stability in their sense of identity. – Research on talking to your dead spouse. Theoretical perspectives Outside of contemporary Western European cultures, a continued relationship with the deceased is well accepted. – Historically, maintaining bonds with the deceased was more accepted in Western European culture. – For example, Chinese families bringing food for the deceased and sharing a meal with them at a Montreal cemetery. Theoretical perspectives – Attachment perspective: Another useful contribution of the attachment perspective is to focus on individual differences in attachment: The notion is that people develop an attachment style based on early experience with significant caregivers. These are carried forward into your adult romantic relationships, and other close relationships. Theoretical perspectives – Attachment perspective: In particular, the focus on ambivalence is particularly relevant to grief: Ambivalent attachment involves both desire and rejection of the loved one, with the implication that this leads to difficulty coming to any sense of resolution of the loss: The prediction is for prolonged or chronic grief reactions. What research shows is different: People with more intense initial grief reactions become more ambivalent toward their partner over time (2 years) and remember the relationship less favorably (Bonanno, Notarius, et al., 1998). Avoidant attachment and grief (Fraley & Bonanno, 2004) The starting notion here is that avoidant individuals will have more difficulty with grief, but it may depend on type of avoidance. – 59 bereaved adults who report on attachment style and grieving is assessed (at 4 and 18 months). – The types of attachment were defined as: – Secure, Fearful-Avoidant, Preoccupied, and Dismissing-Avoidant Attachment prototypes Avoidant attachment and grief (Fraley & Bonanno, 2004) Results: Dismissive-avoidant individuals showed the least distress: less anxiety, depression, grief symptoms, and symptoms of PTSD. Very similar to Secure individuals, but the underlying process likely different. Secure individuals will likely stay connected and still use the deceased partner as a “secure base”. Dismissive individuals manage their affect by moving their attention away from any threats to their sense of independence and self-worth, and may not have been as attached in the first place. Avoidant attachment and grief (Fraley & Bonanno, 2004) Fearful avoidant individuals had the most difficult grieving, followed by the Preoccupied individuals. – This is the type of defensive person who has more difficulty recovering from loss.