The Importance Of Grief

Grief is something universal and experienced among all living creatures at some point in their life time. Grief has been a topic worthy of psychological study for well over a century. Freud published his famous essay on Mourning Beyond Melancholia in 1917(Strachey), wherein he discusses the different responses in humans regarding the profound sense of grief felt after the loss of a loved one. In the 19th century, grief was a visceral condition of the human spirit. Often, grief might be viewed as one of the factors that cause insanity, but it is not a mental illness in itself (Walter, 2005–2006, p. 73). Having been studied and extrapolated upon by many since Freud’s poignant observations in 1917, it has now become a mainstream subject not just

Later, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross went on to write another famous book, “On Grief and Grieving,” which focused more on the intrinsic role/impact of grief pertaining to loss of any kind, and not just death. History is witness to the fact that grief has affected every individual in varying degrees at various stages of life; therefore, the complexity of the way grief is internalized and expressed is a unique personal experience after a major loss. While anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists contend that grieving is one of the few rites of passage that is cross-culturally and cross-historically consistent (Archer, 1999; Gilbert, 2006; Parkes, 2001; Rosenblatt, 1993, 2001), the emergence of grief as a topic worthy of psychological study is a phenomenon that has its root in the early 20th century (Archer, 1999). Almost everyone, at some point in time, experiences events that can be considered as major losses (Harvey and Weber 1998). A major loss can be considered as the loss of a loved one, body part, home, friendship, relationship, possessions, status, pet, job, game, or loss of any

As per dictionary.com, “Denial is an assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc., is false.” In some individuals, it can range from blatantly ignoring the truth presented to them or possibly thinking that the person disclosing the truth is not credible. Each individual’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors are an amalgamation of past experiences, culture and social norms that tend to ensconce them from time to time. Denial is an innate defense mechanism to overwhelming evidence presented to a person. It is a buffer which gives an individual time to develop coping mechanisms, or get through the immediate timing of the loss. Loss of some kind is a deprivation of something that the individual is used to having, which triggers a spontaneous response of denial, arising out of confusion, turmoil and the fear of loss. Someone who loses a loved one unexpectedly is tends to experience denial, in myriad forms. Losing a relationship, job, pet, or possession, especially unexpectedly, would inevitably place someone in denial. While someone is in denial, they may consciously or unconsciously reject or ignore the truth or deny certain facets of the truth. Each person experiences and expresses this denial differently, some actively and some passively. Someone may get angry, aloof, or refuse to follow up with a doctor who has diagnosed their illness. Others may still show up for work even after being fired, or