Chapter 15: Bereavement And Counseling Flashcards
Explain attachment
It is an emotional link to someone or something.
Attachment is positively displayed by seeking closeness or proximity to person and feeling of security in their presence.
It is negative when separation from the person is followed by protest anger and attempts to regain object of attachment.
What are the stages of bereavement
Shock/ denial: is a period of shock numbness disbelief and denial where they cannot cry or show any emotions and behave as nothing happened.
Awareness of loss: mourning person starts to confront loss at both emotional and practical level. Anger and bargaining may be common.
Acute mourning: involves feelings of despair and disorganisation.person commonly shows symptoms of depression withdrawal gloominess loss of interest in activities apathy tearfulness irritability and change in eating and sleeping patterns.
Resolution: involves certain level of acceptance of the loss and a return to normal life.
Define grief work
The psychological process a person undergoes in order to cope with a significant loss and involves undertaking range of activities or excises that can help to manage the grief and decrease likelihood of person developing complicated grief reactions or mental illness.
What are the stages of grief work
Actualising the loss: which is to make or real or realise the loss through acknowledgement which is geared towards moving bereaved person from initial point of numbness to situation where they gain awareness or acknowledgement of loss.
Process the pain: accepting and opening oneself up towards experiencing pain.
Adjusting to changed world: to being bereaved person to a resolution or equilibrium to move on with their lives.
What is the dual process model of bereavement
Built on previous bereavement models but differs in
Acknowledging different cultures and different subgroups confront or avoid grief in different ways
Bereavement is not a passive process but needs active attention
Bereavement should oscillate between loss orientated and restoration orientated processes
Discuss the cognitive stress Theory
Based on this coping can either concentrate on emotion focused coping which is seeking to manage emotions caused by stress or
Problem focused coping which attempts to solve or change the problems causing the stress.
What is meant by bereavement as a process of oscillation
Adaptive coping during grieving can only be achieved when focus of bereaved person oscillates between loss orientated versus restoration orientated processes
Oscillation also occur between
Positive Vs negative meaning reconstruction
Emotions Vs problem solving focuses
Avoidance Vs confrontation
Expand on the loss orientated process
Deals with loss and stress caused by loss itself. Pain and stress caused by loss can either be avoided by shifting one’s focus to positive aspects of restoration orientated processes or by engaging in other distracting activity
Experience of pain of grief includes
- Psychological and physical symptoms like lightheadedness chest pain
- Intrusive and emotionally loaded images associated with loss
- Anger commonly experience after loss directed at deceased family or friends.
- Regret risky lifestyles choices
- Feelings of insecurity following from severing of attachment bonds leading to anxiety and fearfulness
- Mental disorganisation and helplessness
- Loneliness
Exploring the meaning of life which is constructed by each person linked to View of the world View of the future Faith and spirituality Self perceptions Interpersonal relationships
Process of reconstruction can be divided into positive meaning reconstruction
Negative meaning reconstruction
Expand on the restoration orientated process
Focus more on problem solving than emotions
Positive meaning reconstruction can be either emotion focused or problem focused.
Gives bereaved person opportunity to think about rest of their life and about changes which may be necessary to move towards a normal life and reach new equilibrium.
List some subgroup and cultural differences when dealing with grief
Women tend to be more loss orientated where they feel and convey their loss while men are more restoration orientated focusing on dealing with practical problems associated with loss.
In some culture focus may be on loss orientated with free expression of grief while other cultures will be more restoration orientated showing little or overt signs of grief.