key figure and primary thinker in this area of psychology of grief
British psychiatrist John Bowlby
Bowlby’s attachment theory
to create a strong affectional bond with others and a way to understand the strong emotional reaction that occurs when those bonds are threatened or broken
(tendency in humans/animals to make strong affectionate bonds with each other fulfills the need of safety and security)
At what point does Bowlby point out about attachment?
attachment occurs in the absence of the reinforcement of these biogenic needs
bowlbys thesis
is that these attachments come from a need for security and safety; they develop early in life and are usually directed toward a few specific individuals and tend to endure through out a large part of the life cycle
what does bowlby suggest about children’s parents
that they provide the secure base of operation from which to explore
George Engel (1961) thesis
is that the loss of a loved one pis psychologically traumatic to the same extent that being severely wounded or burned is physiologically traumatic.
What is happening before restoration of function takes place
mourning
normal grief is also referred to
-who helped with the earliest attempts to look at normal grief reactions
uncomplicated grief;
a broad range of feelings and behaviors that are common after a loss
-Erich lindermann (1944)
5 criteria of grief syndrome (6)
4 categories related to normal grief regarding behaviors
Dr. J William worden
What is the most common feeling
emotion that is frequently experienced after a loss
anger
guilt or self reproach
guilt is manifested over something that happened or something that was neglected around the time of the death, something that may have prevented the loss.
-guilt is irrational
-can range from a light sense of insecurity to a strong panic attack, and the more intense and persistent, the more it suggests an abnormal grief reaction
anxiety
feeling frequently expressed by survivors (8)
physical sensations experienced by people who are grieving (9)
cognitions
-certain thoughts are common in the early stages of grieving and usually disappear after a short time (5)
behaviors
-range from sleep and appetite disturbances to absentmindedness and social withdrawl (12)
the study of behavior and mental processes in humans and animals
psychology
predicts how a person will behave
empirically
operation of the mind in total (thoughts, memories, dreams, rationale, etc)
cognitive process
goals of psychology
individual who is trained in working with people with mental disorders and emotional problems
-masters level
therapist