Grief

Grief is a multi-faceted reaction to loss, especially to someone’s loss or something that has died to which a bond or affection has been established. While conventionally concentrated on the emotional reaction to loss, it has physical, mental, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions as well.

Webster Dictionary

Initially, Dr. Kubler Ross 5 stages of grief were actually created for patients in the dying process, and many people are not aware of this fact. However, later the medical field and others began to apply them to the family and friends of the dying patient.

Grief is an emotion which all will experience at some phase in our lives. Breaking up with a partner, undergoing an abrupt career change, or the loss of a loved one can bring emotions of grief and sadness. This method of grief is recognized as rigid when covering such a diverse and psychological experience. So let’s reevaluate the 5 Stages and take a better look at how it may be helpful to think outside the box when talking about your despair or the despair of someone near you. In her book On Death and Dying psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kubler Ross summarized the 5 Stages of Grief.

The phases are the following: Denial: the amount of shock when faced with a traumatic or profoundly upsetting part of news or event. Anger: towards others, oneself, God, or whomever one may identify accountable. Bargaining: a stage whoever one and happening between oneself see responsible for your own suffering. Depression: the amount of mourning for reduction with feelings of sadness and despair. Acceptance: not to be mistaken with a stage, but instead an endorsement of one’s situation. Kubler Ross is careful to remember that these phases may not happen in order, and there is a much larger comprehensive detail of more emotions experienced when grieving.

Still, she suggests this is just part of a common guide to the overall grieving process, that has been primarily adhered to since its publication. A patient’s environment may have a great impact on their attitudes towards death. In his well-known review of Kubler- Ross model, Baxter Jennings argues which of the 5 Stages doesn’t adequately address the personal dimension of despair. If patients are encompassed by positive experiences, Jennings explains, they’ll experience things differently during the grieving process as opposed to a patient grieving what he perceived as difficult time during the entire medical treatment which was encompassed by negative treatment. Basically, Jennings points out that a patient’s environment may have a great impact on their attitudes towards death.

Another important review of the 5 Stages model is present by George Bonanno. That individuals are resilient even when facing extreme stress or losses, contradicts even the 5 Stages model of despair. Many resilient people show no grief, and for that reason have no phases of grief to pass through. Bonanno’s research argues which the absence of despair or injury symptoms can, in fact, be a healthful outcome. Nevertheless, this has frequently been treated as something to be feared by therapists and researchers alike. That individuals are resilient even when facing extreme stress or losses, contradicts even the 5 Stages model of despair. Looking at these criticisms of Kubler Ross Five Stages of Grief model raises some significant questions. Most significantly is whether or not such an approach to despair applies to everyone. This is probably why the 5 stage model was modified to a 7 stage model to make it more inclusive of other human emotions.