The Biological Impact Of Grief And The Personality

Loss is a phenomenon that is experienced by all. Death is experienced by family members as a unique and elevated form of loss which is modulated by potent stages of grief. Inevitably, everyone will lose someone with whom they had a personal relationship and emotional connection and thus experience an aftermath that can generally be described as grief. Although bereavement, which is defined as a state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one, is a universal experience it varies widely across gender, age, and circumstance (definitions.net, 2015). Indeed the formalities and phases associated with bereavement have been recounted and theorized in literature for years. These philosophies are quite diverse but

Death is a universally experienced phenomenon. In the United States alone, over 2.6 million people die each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). For practitioners, it is of utmost importance to better understand the process of grief to develop better interventions for bereaved individuals.

Complicated grief (CG) is a mental disorder characterised by intense emotions following the death of a loved one, severely and persistently impacting on daily life, compared to normal cases of bereavement (Solomon & Shear, 2015). Lichtenthal, Cruess and Prigerson’s (2004) review discusses the necessity of acknowledging and defining CG as a separate mental disorder. CG is not considered a mental disorder under the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), but is within the category of ‘Disorders Requiring Further Study’ (Shear, Ghesquiere & Glickman, 2013). In Lichtenthal et al.’s (2004) review, CG is defined, and a distinction is made between normal and ‘complicated’ grief. A justification for the discriminant validity of CG is also made, by differentiating CG from other disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and adjustment disorder (AD).

The facial expressions of adult grief is seen as a result of an adults inhibition of the tendency to

This course has taught me that it is difficult to say goodbye to the ones we love. The struggle to separate from the deceased occurs because we have a strong attachment with them. The grief response and expression for every individual is unique (Winokuer & Harris, 2012, p. 26). Thus, I cannot expect my clients to grieve in a similar manner. It is also important for a counsellor to identify what stage in the grief process the client is in. Although, there are many models of grief stages, they all follow similar midpoints. These midpoints are accepting the loss, dealing with the emotions surrounding the loss, creating a reason for the loss, finding a way to continue to live without the loved one, and creating an everlasting bond with the deceased.

The loss of a loved one is a painful experience followed by a period of grief and mourning. Bereavement is an experience most individuals will endure at least once in their lives. For most people symptoms such as persistent yearning for the deceased, intense emotional pain, preoccupation with the deceased, and overwhelming sense of sadness only last for a period of 12 months or less before the symptoms begin to subside. For approximately 2.4%-4.8% of the population grief symptoms persist for more than 12 months. These symptoms begin to impair their social and/or occupation functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This is a condition known as complicated grief (CG). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5), includes CG in the Appendix entitled ‘conditions for further study’. CG was proposed as an adjustment disorder when the DSM-5 was being written. A multitude of research had been completed to prove this was a maladaptive response to a significant stressor in an individual’s life (Bryant, 2014). Unfortunately, the American Psychiatric Association did not believe there was a sufficient amount of evidence to prove this constituted a formal diagnosis (Bryant, 2014). Nevertheless, this topic remains a prevalent concern in our society. Researchers have started to identify certain risk factors as well as mechanisms that cause CG (Shair, 2005). The intention

Grief is a sense of loss which is a natural emotion. If one does, not grieve properly it can lead to emotional and physical problems. To avoid this from happening allow time to grieve, feel the pain and sorrow and let it out. This is natural, this is also healthy. There are five steps of the grieving process: anger, bargaining, depression, and resolution (Manning, Curtis, McMillin, & Attenweiler, 2011).

Participants of this study will be a sample of about 15 children that are attending a bereavement class at a local hospice. The children will between the ages of five and 15 years old. The participants must have lost a close relative or friend in the past year, and must be in one of the four stages of grief process per John Bowlby’s stages of the five grief process or be in one of the grief stages per Kubler Ross. The concept of complicated grief among adults was first raised by Bowlby (Vonk, Lee, & Bride, 2014). I will be comparing the children’s experience to the stages of John Bowlby or Kubler Ross and later compare it to that of adults that are in the same stages. The children will be recruited through bereavement classes offered through

better understand the process of grief. Research done by Strobe and Schut (1999, 2001) on the

Elaborating on the differences between men, women and children in response to grief provided an eye-opening perspective. Also, taking into account past traumas, whether the loss is a result of illness or traumatic incident can exacerbate and prolong the grief process (Scalise, 2007). The presentation on Grief, Loss and Complicated Grief highlighted symptomology of grief (Scalise, 2007) Furthermore, Scalise (2007) broadens our understanding by defining how complicated grief parallels post-traumatic stress disorder. Scalise (2007) provided insight into how complicated grief affects brain chemistry.

The research has included both the internet and books borrowed from my father, a psychologist, as well as conversations with my father about the theoretic and practical aspects of the grief cycle of my character. As well as this, recently someone close to my family passed away, so I have my own experience with grief to draw upon. In addition, someone else close to a family member is in danger of dying very soon, and the fear and denial that this has incorporated into the subconscious parts of everyday life have been apparent to me, revealing even more of the practical aspect of grief, the aspect which is outwardly conveyed to the grieving person’s peers. This side of grief is different to the internal conflicts and emotions which sometimes remain hidden even to those closest to the person.

The following is a review of the article “The “How” and “When” of Parental Loss in Adulthood: Effects on Grief and Adjustment” (Hayslip, Pruett, & Caballero, 2015). The article summarizes a study that was done to determine the impact of gender, age, and cause of death on grief. I will discuss the purpose of the research, the methods and measurements used, as well as the results and an interpretation of the findings. I will then discuss the findings of this article in relation to Berger’s discussion of grief (2014). This review will conclude with a reflection of how this article relates to my personal experience.

Through all walks of life, every individual comes in contact with the loss of a loved one or someone very close to them. As the emotions set in, grief is one that is very complex and often misunderstood. Each individual deals with grief in their own separate and personal ways, but when it comes down to it, they all follow around the same basic structure. Looking into the eyes of psychology, it has been determined there is a total of five stages to grief in an individual’s life. As listed, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are all the steps that have been shown to take place in someone life when suffering from grief.

There are many stages of grief, but one of them is understanding the pain, which is normal. Understanding the pain is more useful than trying to not understand (Shear). Realizing the pain can cause you to accept the grief and move on (Shear). Scans carried out by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists showed that the part of the brain that deals with physical pain, the anterior cingulate cortex, processes emotional pain, too (Kelly). It affects 100 people per million each year (Kelly). Plus, a study at Imperial College suggested that it might actually be a mechanism for protecting the heart from the surge of adrenaline that often accompanies shock and grief. Also, through grief, we realize many feelings and choices can affect us through the healing stages. A P.H.D, Edward T. Cregan experienced grief when his mother passed while grieving, he realized making big decisions isn’t good, as you can make a decision that you didn’t want to (Cregan). From the stages, one common feeling to have is anger, due to the death of the loved one. There are 75% say the pervading emotion they currently feel is sadness, with feeling angry, alone, overwhelmed and worried being top other emotions (Moore). Understanding the stages of grief are hard, but getting to know them can help you move on and see that acting certain ways can be

The loss of a loved one is a painful experience followed by a period of grief and mourning. Bereavement is an experience most individuals will endure at least once in their lives. For most people symptoms such as persistent yearning for the deceased, intense emotional pain, preoccupation with the deceased, and overwhelming sense of sadness only last for a period of 12 months or less before the symptoms begin to subside. For approximately 2.4%-4.8% of the population grief symptoms persist for more than 12 months. These symptoms begin to impair their social and/or occupation functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This is a condition known as complicated grief (CG), also referred to as prolonged grief, or persistent complex bereavement disorder (Bryant, 2014). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5), includes CG in the Appendix entitled ‘conditions for further study’. CG was proposed as an adjustment disorder when the DSM-5 was being written. A multitude of research had been completed to prove this was a maladaptive response to a significant stressor in an individual’s life (Bryant, 2014). Unfortunately, the American Psychiatric Association did not believe there was a sufficient amount of evidence to prove this constituted a formal diagnosis (Bryant, 2014). Nevertheless, this topic remains a prevalent concern in our society. Researchers have started to identify certain risk factors as well as mechanisms that cause CG