test 2 Flashcards
(37 cards)
what are mediators of mourning
how people grieve is determined by many factors, and these tasks are mediated by various factors
a mediator of grief - who the person who died was
- the sort of relationship between the deceased and the survivor
- closer the relationship the more intense grief
- who the person was to someone else
a mediator of grief - nature of the attachment
- strength of attachment
- greater the love greater the grief
- security of attachment (sense of well being had from deceased)
- ambivalence in relationship (really mixed feelings in relationship can = guilt and anger)
- conflict with deceased (leave unfinished business)
- dependent relationships (stronger grief when survivor was dependent on deceased)
a mediator of grief - how the person died
- natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal
- proximity
- suddenness
- violent/traumatic death (lead to complicated grief)
- multiple losses (too many deaths can be unmanageable)
- preventable death (guilt, blame, culpability)
- ambiguous death (not knowing for sure)
- stigmatized deaths (suicide/aids/miscarriage)
a mediator of grief - historical antecedents
- if the person has experienced grief before and how they dealt with it
- unresolved loss can transcend generations and affect current mourning process
a mediator of grief - personality variables
- age and gender
- coping style
- attachment style
- cognitive style
- ego strength (better self esteem better adjustment)
- assumptive world (possible spiritual crisis/people who believe in god plan adjust better)
problem solving coping
change to a method that works or ineffectively quite when that one method used doesn’t work
active emotional coping
redefinition, or the ability to find something positive in a bad situation (using humor, venting, accepting support)
avoidant emotional coping
least effective, includes blaming, distraction, and social withdrawal
secure attachment style
developed through good parenting and other early healthy relationships
- when there is loss, pain of sorrow is processed and develops continuing bond with the lost loved one
insecure attachment style
when parenting/early relationships are not secure
anxious/preoccupied attachment
super sensitive to slights and other negative neglect in a relationship. shows high levels of stress at the time of death and coping is difficult
anxious/ambivalent attachment
love and hate coexist in relationship. usually only the love comes out when the person dies and makes them larger than life
avoidant/dismissing attachment
behavior is organized around the goal of self reliance and independence. show minimal emotions to a death
avoidant/fearful attachment
have long histories of tentative attachments and can go into depression when an attachment is severed due to a death
rumination
focus on the negative without taking action to relieve these emotions
a mediator of grief - social variables
- grieving is a social phenomenon
- support can lessen after time due to need to move on
a mediator of grief - concurrent stress
- high levels of disruption (secondary loss) following death can create higher levels of depression
- economic factors of a spouse dying effecting the whole family etc
when is mourning finished
- when person completes the final mourning phase/task completed
- when person is able to think of deceased without pain
- when person can reinvest their emotions back in their life
grief counseling vs therapy
- counseling = help people facilitate uncomplicated grief, or normal grief, to a healthy adaptation to the tasks of mourning within a reasonable time frame
- therapy = specialized techniques, that are used to help people with abnormal or complicated grief reactions
goals of grief counseling
help survivor adapt to the loss of a loved one and be able to adjust to a new reality without that person
Specific goals of counseling
- Increasing the reality of the loss
- Help deal with emotional and behavioral pain
- Helping overcome impediments to readjustment after the loss
who does grief counseling
- Professional services by trained doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, etc
- Volunteers are selected and trained (ex. Widow to widow programs)
- Self help groups like compassionate friends (like bereaved people helping other bereaved people)
when to do grief counseling
- Usually within a week following the death
- not too soon
- If the family has contacted a counselor beforehand, the counselor may contact them at the time of death (ex. hospice)