The Poetry of Grief: Beyond Scientific Portrayal

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Abstract

To comprehend grief, we need knowledge about the range of diverse reactions incorporated within it. While scientists have documented the phenomena and manifestations following the loss of a loved one in quite some detail, poets can add to our understanding by portraying these vividly, bringing the feelings to life. In this article, I map the array of grief reactions identified in scientific investigations. I then go on to give short, selective illustrations from poetry, ones that have enhanced my own understanding of grief. These choices are naturally influenced by my own preferences; I include those that I find personally appealing and evocative of the multifaceted manifestations of grief. My aim is to demonstrate the value of artistic representation for scientific comprehension.

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Most cited references 26

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From loss to loneliness: The relationship between bereavement and depressive symptoms.

Eiko I Fried, Claudi L.H. Bockting, Retha Arjadi … (2015)

Spousal bereavement can cause a rise in depressive symptoms. This study empirically evaluates 2 competing explanations concerning how this causal effect is brought about: (a) a traditional latent variable explanation, in which loss triggers depression which then leads to symptoms; and (b) a novel network explanation, in which bereavement directly affects particular depression symptoms which then activate other symptoms. We used data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study and compared depressive symptomatology, assessed via the 11-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), among those who lost their partner (N = 241) with a still-married control group (N = 274). We modeled the effect of partner loss on depressive symptoms either as an indirect effect through a latent variable, or as a direct effect in a network constructed through a causal search algorithm. Compared to the control group, widow(er)s' scores were significantly higher for symptoms of loneliness, sadness, depressed mood, and appetite loss, and significantly lower for happiness and enjoyed life. The effect of partner loss on these symptoms was not mediated by a latent variable. The network model indicated that bereavement mainly affected loneliness, which in turn activated other depressive symptoms. The direct effects of spousal loss on particular symptoms are inconsistent with the predictions of latent variable models, but can be explained from a network perspective. The findings support a growing body of literature showing that specific adverse life events differentially affect depressive symptomatology, and suggest that future studies should examine interventions that directly target such symptoms.

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Religion and spirituality in adjustment following bereavement: an integrative review.

Jennifer H Wortmann, Crystal Park (2008)

Surprisingly little research has examined the widely held assumption that religion and spirituality are generally helpful in adjusting to bereavement. A systematic literature search located 73 empirical articles that examined religion/spirituality in the context of bereavement. The authors describe the multidimensional nature of religion/spirituality and use this framework to organize and integrate the findings of these empirical articles. Overall, results suggest that relations between religion and adjustment to bereavement are generally positive but inconsistent and vary depending in part on how religion/spirituality is measured. The authors conclude with a critique of the current research and directions for future research.

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Is Open Access

Cautioning Health-Care Professionals

Margaret Stroebe, Henk Schut, Kathrin Boerner (2017)

Science and practice seem deeply stuck in the so-called stage theory of grief. Health-care professionals continue to “prescribe” stages. Basically, this perspective endorses the idea that bereaved people go through a set pattern of specific reactions over time following the death of a loved one. It has frequently been interpreted prescriptively, as a progression that bereaved persons must follow in order to adapt to loss. It is of paramount importance to assess stage theory, not least in view of the current status of the maladaptive “persistent complex bereavement-related disorder” as a category for further research in DSM-5. We therefore review the status and value of this approach. It has remained hugely influential among researchers as well as practitioners across recent decades, but there has also been forceful opposition. Major concerns include the absence of sound empirical evidence, conceptual clarity, or explanatory potential. It lacks practical utility for the design or allocation of treatment services, and it does not help identification of those at risk or with complications in the grieving process. Most disturbingly, the expectation that bereaved persons will, even should, go through stages of grieving can be harmful to those who do not. Following such lines of reasoning, we argue that stage theory should be discarded by all concerned (including bereaved persons themselves); at best, it should be relegated to the realms of history. There are alternative models that better represent grieving processes. We develop guidelines to enhance such a move beyond the stage approach in both theory and practice.

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Journal ID (nlm-ta): Omega (Westport)

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Omega (Westport)

Journal ID (publisher-id): OME

Journal ID (hwp): spome

Title: Omega

Publisher: SAGE Publications (Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA )

ISSN (Print): 0030-2228

ISSN (Electronic): 1541-3764

Publication date (Electronic): 08 August 2018

Publication date (Print): November 2018

Volume: 78

Issue: 1

Pages: 67-96

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

[2 ]Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Author notes

[*]Margaret Stroebe, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS Groningen, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Email: M.S.Stroebe@ 123456RUG.NL

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Publisher ID: 10.1177_0030222818792706

DOI: 10.1177/0030222818792706

PMC ID: 6380610

PubMed ID: 30089412

SO-VID: d7144328-d501-48ee-8539-e6e160f1484a

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This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ( http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ( https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

The Poetry of Grief: Beyond Scientific Portrayal

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Most cited references 26

From loss to loneliness: The relationship between bereavement and depressive symptoms.

Religion and spirituality in adjustment following bereavement: an integrative review.

Cautioning Health-Care Professionals

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