Psychology of Loss

Question 1

What is bereavement?

Answer 1

The objective event of loss, from the root word “torn up,” implying sudden separation

Question 2

What is mourning?

Answer 2

The process of incorporating a loss into ongoing life, often influenced by social and cultural norms

Question 3

What is grief?

Answer 3

The reaction to loss, encompassing thoughts, feelings, physical expressions, behaviors, and spiritual responses

Question 4

Why might modern mourning customs create confusion?

Answer 4

Lack of regulated formal customs leads to varied interpretations of “appropriate” behavior

Question 5

How does mourning signal a difference in the bereaved?

Answer 5

Seclusion allows gfief sheltering and prevents forgetting the decreased too quickly

Question 6

What are the six domains of grief?

Answer 6

Thoughts, feelings, physical expressions, behaviors, spiritual responses, and dreams/sensations of the deceased

Question 7

What brain areas are involved in grief?

Answer 7

Nucleus accumbens (reward/yearning)
Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, periaqueductal gray (pain)

Question 8

What is the most stressful life event according to studies?

Answer 8

Death of a spouse

Question 9

Why might grieving individuals feel like they are “going crazy”?

Answer 9

Grief can be intense, unpredictable, and wave-like, leading to unusual symptoms

Question 10

What percentage of children experience the death of a close person by age 18?

Answer 10

20%

Question 11

How many college students mourn multiple losses with a year

Answer 11

A significant proportion

Question 12

What is Takotsubo caridomyopathy?

Answer 12

“Broken heart syndrome,” where stress leads to heart muscle failure

Question 13

What mental health issues are linked to bereavement?

Answer 13

Depression, loneliness, anger, and PTDS for horrific deaths

Question 14

What is the most common bereavement pattern?

Answer 14

The resilient pattern (35-65%) with low adjustment difficulties

Question 15

Which pattern involves high adjustment difficulties that persist over time?

Answer 15

The chronic pattern (5-30%)

Question 16

How does grief differ between women and men?

Answer 16

Women express more intense and longer-lasting grief than men

Question 17

How do chinese mourning practices influence grief compared to American practices?

Answer 17

Chinese rituals lead to quicker but intense grift with faster recovery, while Americans experiences slower, individualistic grieving

Question 18

How is childhood grief unique?

Answer 18

It depends on the child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, as well as their understanding of death concepts

Question 19

How does grief differ between mothers and fathers?

Answer 19

Mothers feel deeply personal loss, while fathers focus on managing the family’s grief

Question 20

Why is the unexpected death of a loved one particularly challenging?

Answer 20

It involves unfinished business, lack of goodbyes, and unpreparedness

Question 21

What mental health disorders are associated with unexpected death?

Answer 21

Major depression, PTSD, and panic disorder

Question 22

What is disenfranchised grief?

Answer 22

Grief that lacks social acknowledgment of the mourner’s relationship to the deceased or their ability to grieve

Question 23

Why is disenfranchised grief emotionally painful?

Answer 23

Grieving is a social process, and lack of acknowledgement isolated and distresses the mourner