“Seeking” and “finding” a lost object: Evidence from recent studies of the reaction to bereavement
TL;DR: Evidence is presented from several studies of bereaved adults which supports Bowlby's claim that “the urge to recover the lost object” is a principal component of grief, and the place of “searching’ is considered in wider context as a consequence of the frustration of goal-corrected behaviour.
About: This article is published in Social Science & Medicine.The article was published on 1970-08-01. It has received 99 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Context (language use) & Object (philosophy).
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TL;DR: A new stress model called the model of conservation of resources is presented, based on the supposition that people strive to retain, project, and build resources and that what is threatening to them is the potential or actual loss of these valued resources.
Abstract: Major perspectives concerning stress are presented with the goal of clarifying the nature of what has proved to be a heuristic but vague construct. Current conceptualizations of stress are challenged as being too phenomenological and ambiguous, and consequently, not given to direct empirical testing. Indeed, it is argued that researchers have tended to avoid the problem of defining stress, choosing to study stress without reference to a clear framework. A new stress model called the model of conservation of resources is presented as an alternative. This resource-oriented model is based on the supposition that people strive to retain, project, and build resources and that what is threatening to them is the potential or actual loss of these valued resources. Implications of the model of conservation of resources for new research directions are discussed.
9,782 citations
Cites background from "“Seeking” and “finding” a lost obje..."
...The study of the process of bereavement is one commonly cited offshoot of their approach (Parkes, 1970, 1972), and the early work on stress as change that requires adaptation may also be seen as a product of this approach (Holmes & Rahe, 1967)....
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...Early discussion of the idea that loss is central to threat may be attributed to such authors as Lindemann (1944) and Parkes (1970)....
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TL;DR: An attachment theory based perspective on the continuing bond to the deceased (CB) is proposed and the value of attachment theory in specifying the normative course of CB expression and in identifying adaptive versus maladaptive variants ofCB expression based on their deviation from this normative course is outlined.
Abstract: An attachment theory based perspective on the continuing bond to the deceased (CB) is proposed. The value of attachment theory in specifying the normative course of CB expression and in identifying adaptive versus maladaptive variants of CB expression based on their deviation from this normative course is outlined. The role of individual differences in attachment security on effective versus ineffective use of CB in coping with bereavement also is addressed. Finally, the moderating influence of type of loss (e.g., death of a spouse vs. child), culture, and religion on type of CB expression within an overarching attachment framework is discussed.
245 citations
Cites background from "“Seeking” and “finding” a lost obje..."
...Consistent with this, Parkes and his colleagues (Glick, Weiss, & Parkes, 1974; Parkes, 1970) reported that a significant number of apparently well-adjusted widows and widowers in their bereavement studies reported an ongoing sense of presence of their deceased spouse as a constant companion at a point well on after the death....
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...Consistent with this, Parkes and his colleagues (Glick, Weiss, & Parkes, 1974; Parkes, 1970) reported that a significant number of apparently well-adjusted widows and widowers in their bereavement studies reported an ongoing sense of presence of their deceased spouse as a constant companion at a…...
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TL;DR: A literature review exploring changing theoretical perspectives in relation to parental grief in the United Kingdom and United States of America highlights fundamental differences between traditional and new models of grief.
Abstract: Journal of Advanced Nursing 46(5), 506–513New understandings of parental grief: literature reviewBackground. Health professionals have a critical role in supporting bereaved par-ents and rely on models of grief to inform and guide their practice. However,different models, based on fundamentally different theoretical perspectives and re-search paradigms, do not necessarily reflect the experiences, or particular needs, ofbereaved parents.Aim. The aim of this paper is to report a literature review exploring changingtheoretical perspectives in relation to parental grief in the United Kingdom andUnited States of America.Methods. A literature search was conducted of nursing, medical and social sciencedata bases using the key words bereaved parents, models of grief and theories ofgrief. This revealed 266 publications, of which 32 were relevant. Contemporaryliterature has formed the focus of this review but older material has been included totrace how theoretical perspectives on parental grief have evolved over time.Findings. Theoretical perspectives, on which models of grief are based, haveevolved continuously over the last century. Also, traditional and new models differbecause in that they are rooted in positivistic and non-positivistic research para-digms respectively. The main implications for health professionals are that newmodels can be applied in practice to support parents in their grief. The literaturereflects an Anglo-American cultural perspective and further research is needed toreflect the multicultural diversity of today’s multicultural societies.Conclusions. This review highlights fundamental differences between traditionaland new models of grief. Traditional models, place emphasis on bereaved peopleletting go of their emotional relationships with those who have died. In contrast,new models, place emphasis on parents holding on to their relationship with theirdead children, and identify therapeutic interventions that support parents in theirgrief.Keywords: parental grief, models of grief, therapeutic interventions, nursing
182 citations
TL;DR: In 21 widows and 46 amputees a psychological reaction to loss designated as ‘grief’ was commonly reported, including an initial period of numbness, soon followed by restless pining with preoccupation with thoughts of the loss, a clear visual memory of the lost object and a sense of its presence.
Abstract: In 21 widows and 46 amputees a psychological reaction to loss designated as "grief' was commonly reported. This included an initial period of numbness, soon followed by restless pining with preoccupation with thoughts of the loss, a clear visual memory of the lost object and a sense of its presence. Defensive processes, reflected in difficulty in believing in the loss and avoidance of reminders, were also evident. Widows differed from amputees in showing more evidence of overt distress in the early post-loss phase, but whereas these features diminished in prevalence in the course of the next year the equivalent features reported by the amputee group remained virtually unchanged.
151 citations
Cites background from "“Seeking” and “finding” a lost obje..."
...Further details about the widowed groups (Parkes, 1970a, 1972a) and the amputee groups (Parkes, 1973 and 1975) appear elsewhere....
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...Operational definitions of these measures have been published (Parkes, 1970a)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors address the issue of how deeply social arrangements may penetrate into private emotion, in this instance, grief, and argue that the data necessary to address this issue satisfactorily are not available and thus current assumptions in the literature about the universality of the grief experience are at least suspect.
Abstract: This article addresses the issue of how deeply social arrangements may penetrate into private emotion, in this instance, grief. It argues that the data necessary to address the issue satisfactorily are not available and thus current assumptions in the literature about the universality of the grief experience are at least suspect. However, there are theoretical reasons, derived from interactionist thought, to suspect that if certain components of the grief experience vary, so will the experience. Four of these components are examined (level of significance of the other who dies; definition of the situation surrounding the death; character of the self experiencing a loss through death; and the interactional situatiodsetting in which the prior three components occur). Evidence is also presented which is suggestive of space-time variation in these components. It is concluded that an assumption of the deep social shaping and thus the variability of grief is fruitful for further empirical inquiries. One of the recurring tensions in the study of human beings arises over the question of how similar, historically and cross-culturally, the species may be. This issue of the universality, or more accurately, the extent of the universality of human nature seems to be an extraordinarily complex one. Consider how believable we find points of view on the issue which are diametrically opposed. Humanists have tended to argue with Terence that “nothing human is alien to me.” And out of our capacity to understand, to find meaning, to take delight in music and poetry and drama and art and letters that have traveled great distances in time and space, we judge the arguments of the humanists to be fully plausible. Conversely, historians and anthropologists, especially, have emphasized the incredible diversity of humankind, the extraordinary capacity of the species to generate different ways of being in the world. And when we read well-developed portraits of other
146 citations
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TL;DR: The points to be made in this paper are as follows: i.
Abstract: At first glance, acute grief would not seem to be a medical or psychiatric disorder in the strict sense of the word but rather a normal reaction to a distressing situation. However, the understanding of reactions to traumatic experiences whether or not they represent clear-cut neuroses has become of ever-increasing importance to the psychiatrist. Bereavement or the sudden cessation of social interaction seems to be of special interest because it is often cited among the alleged psychogenic factors in psychosomatic disorders. The enormous increase in grief reactions due to war casualties, furthermore, demands an evaluation of their probable effect on the mental and physical health of our population. The points to be made in this paper are as follows: i. Acute grief is a definite syndrome with psychological and somatic symptomatology. 2. This syndrome may appear immediately after a crisis; it may be delayed; it may be exaggerated or apparently al)sent. 3. In place of the typical syndrome there may appear distorted pictures, each of which represents one special aspect of the grief syndrome. 4. By appropriate techniques these distorted pictures can be successfully transformed into a normal grief reaction with resolution. Our observations comprise tot patients. Included are (i) psychoneurotic patients who lost a relative during the course of treatment, (2) relatives of patients who uied in the hospital, (3) bereaved disaster victims (Cocoanut Grove Fire) and their close relatives, ( ) relatives of members of the armed forces.
2,717 citations
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01 Jan 1969TL;DR: Most psychologists take it for granted that a scientific account of the behavior of organisms must begin with the definition of fixed, recognizable, elementary units of behavior as mentioned in this paper, which is the essence of the highly successful strategy called scientific analysis.
Abstract: Most psychologists take it for granted that a scientific account of the behavior of organisms must begin with the definition of fixed, recognizable, elementary units of behavior—something a psychologist can use as a biologist uses cells, or an astronomer uses stars, or a physicist uses atoms, and so on. Given a simple unit, complicated phenomena are then describable as lawful compounds. That is the essence of the highly successful strategy called “scientific analysis.”
2,124 citations