M Stroebe | Search PubMed

PubMed1992

Broken hearts or broken bonds. Love and death in historical perspective.

Psychological theories and practices frequently neglect the extent to which their subject matter is historically and culturally defined. This issue is explored in the context of theories and therapies related to bereavement. Contemporary orientations emphasize the importance of breaking bonds with the deceased and the return of survivors to autonomous lifestyles. Placing the orientation in cultural and historical context reveals that it is largely a product of a modernist worldview. Within the romanticist ethos of the preceding century, such breaking of bonds would destroy one's identity and the meaning of life. In light of contemporary variations in subcultural meanings and values, a postmodern view is suggested in which reflexive responsibility is focal.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Does "grief work" work?

This article challenges the long-standing belief in the necessity of "grief work" for adjustment to bereavement. Evidence is offered from a prospective study of 30 widows and 30 widowers that indicates that grief work is not always as essential for adjustment to bereavement as theorists and clinicians have claimed. Widows who avoided confronting their loss did not differ in their depression scores from widows who worked through their grief. However, for widowers, performance of grief work was associated with better adjustment over an 18-month period. The implications of these findings for the grief work hypothesis are considered.

Adaptation, Psychological↗