Psychology of Grief Glossary

Question 1

an individual’s ability to adjust to the psychological and emotional changes brought on by a stressful event (i.e. a loss)

Answer 1

adaptation

Question 2

outward expression of emotion

Answer 2

affect

Question 3

counseling that occurs after the funeral

Answer 3

aftercare

Question 4

providing a choice of services and merchandise available as families make a selection and complete funeral arrangements, formulating different actions in adjusting to a crisis

Answer 4

alternatives

Question 5

blame directed towards another person

Answer 5

anger

Question 6

grief where mourning customs are unclear due to an inappropriate death and the absence of prior bereavement experience

Answer 6

anomic grief

Question 7

grief in anticipation of death or loss, often manifests as anxiety

Answer 7

anticipatory grief

Question 8

an emotion characterized by a vague fear or premonition that something undesirable is going to happen

Answer 8

anxiety

Question 9

funeral director consulting with the family from the time the death

Answer 9

at-need counseling

Question 10

the tendency to make strong affectional bonds with others coming from the need for security and safety

Answer 10

attachment (Bowlby)

Question 11

giving undivided attention by means of verbal and non-verbal behavior

Answer 11

attending (listening)

Question 12

the act or event of separation or loss that results in the experience of grief

Answer 12

bereavement

Question 13

anger directed outward

Answer 13

blame

Question 14

excessive in duration and never coming to a satisfactory conclusion

Answer 14

chronic grief

Question 15

a non-directive method of counseling which stresses the inherent worth of the client and the natural capacity for growth and health

Answer 15

person centered (client centered) counseling (Rogers)

Question 16

from the Latin, “to know;” the study of the origins and consequences of thoughts, memories, beliefs, perceptions, explanations, and other mental processes

Answer 16

cognitive psychology

Question 17

grief that interferes with normal life functions without progressing towards resolution

Answer 17

complicated grief (also referred to as abnormal or unresolved grief)

Question 18

the necessary quality of a counselor being in touch with reality and other’s perception of oneself

Answer 18

congruence (Rogers)

Question 19

characteristic ways of responding to stress

Answer 19

coping

Question 20

the individual seeking assistance or guidance

Answer 20

counselee

Question 21

advice, especially that given as a result of consultation

Answer 21

counseling (Webster)

Question 22

any time someone helps someone else with a problem

Answer 22

counseling (Jackson)

Question 23

good communication within and between men; or, good (free) communication within or between men is always therapeutic

Answer 23

counseling (Rogers)

Question 24

the individual providing assistance and guidance

Answer 24

counselor

Question 25

a highly emotional temporary state in which an individual’s feelings of anxiety, grief, confusion or pain impair his or her ability to act

Answer 25

crisis

Question 26

interventions which help individuals in a crisis situation

Answer 26

crisis counseling

Question 27

a learned emotional response to death-related phenomenon which is characterized by extreme apprehension

Answer 27

death anxiety

Question 28

inhibited, suppressed or postponed response to a loss

Answer 28

delayed grief (Worden)

Question 29

the defense mechanism by which a person is unable or refuses to see things as they are because such facts are threatening to the self

Answer 29

denial

Question 30

feelings of sadness, loss, anger, and persistent feelings of worthlessness and low self esteem

Answer 30

depression

Question 31

counselor takes an active speaking role, asking questions, suggesting courses of action

Answer 31

directive counseling

Question 32

the ability to perceive another’s experience and communicate that perception back to the person

Answer 32

empathy (Wolfelt)

Question 33

an act or practice of allowing or causing the death of persons suffering from a life-limiting condition

Answer 33

euthanasia (right to die)

Question 34

reactions that are excessive and disabling

Answer 34

exaggerated grief (Worden)

Question 35

strong emotion marked by such reactions as alarm, dread or disquiet

Answer 35

fear

Question 36

a characteristic of presenting oneself clearly – desirable quality in a funeral director

Answer 36

genuineness (Wolfelt)

Question 37

an emotion or set of emotions due to loss

Answer 37

grief

Question 38

helping people facilitate grief to a healthy resolution

Answer 38

grief counseling

Question 39

a set of symptoms associated with loss

Answer 39

grief syndrome (Lindemann)

Question 40

specialized techniques which are used to help people with complicated grief reactions

Answer 40

grief therapy (Worden)

Question 41

a process occurring with losses aimed at loosening the attachment to that which has been lost for appropriate reinvestment

Answer 41

griefwork (Lindemann)

Question 42

blame directed toward one’s self based on real or unreal conditions

Answer 42

guilt

Question 43

a philosophy of care used in treating the terminally ill

Answer 43

hospice

Question 44

counseling in which a counselor shares a body of special information with a counselee

Answer 44

informational counseling

Question 45

experiencing symptoms and behaviors which cause difficulty but not attributing them to the loss

Answer 45

masked grief (Worden)

Question 46

any event, person or object that lessens the degree of pain in grief

Answer 46

mitigation

Question 47

outward expression of grief

Answer 47

mourning

Question 48

that which is expressed by posture, facial expression, actions, physical behavior

Answer 48

non-verbal communication

Question 49

expressing a thought or idea in an alternate and sometimes shortened form

Answer 49

paraphrasing

Question 50

a non-directive method of counseling which stresses the inherent worth of the client and the natural capacity for growth and health

Answer 50

person centered (client centered) counseling (Rogers)

Question 51

counseling which occurs before a death

Answer 51

pre-need counseling

Question 52

attribution of one’s unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to someone else

Answer 52

projection

Question 53

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Answer 53

psychology

Question 54

intervention with people whose needs are so specific that usually they can only be met by specially trained physicians or psychologists. The practitioners in this field need special training because they often work with deeper levels of consciousness

Answer 54

psychotherapy (Jackson)

Question 55

a relation of harmony established in any human interaction

Answer 55

rapport

Question 56

supplying a logical, acceptable reason rather than the real reason for an action

Answer 56

rationalization

Question 57

returning to more familiar and often more primitive modes of coping

Answer 57

regression

Question 58

blocking of threatening material from consciousness

Answer 58

repression

Question 59

the ability to communicate the belief that everyone possesses the capacity and right to choose alternatives and make decisions

Answer 59

respect (Wolfelt)

Question 60

compulsive need to go after and retrieve that which has been lost

Answer 60

searching

Question 61

blame that is perceived to be directed toward one’s self by others

Answer 61

shame

Question 62

the reaction of the body to an event often experienced emotionally as a sudden, violent and upsetting disturbance

Answer 62

shock

Question 63

Help related to specific situations in life that may create crises and produce human pain and suffering

Answer 63

situational counseling

Question 64

the mental and physical condition that occurs when a person must adjust or adapt to the environment

Answer 64

stress

Question 65

any event capable of producing physical or emotional stress

Answer 65

stressor

Question 66

the sudden, unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant, remains unexplained after autopsy and review of the circumstances around the death

Answer 66

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS or crib death)

Question 67

a deliberate and voluntary act of taking one’s own life

Answer 67

suicide

Question 68

sincere feelings for the person who is trying to adjust to a serious loss

Answer 68

sympathy

Question 69

an irrational, exaggerated fear of death

Answer 69

thanatophobia