Bereavement psychology is the branch of psychology that studies how people mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally respond to the death of a loved one. It focuses on the processes of grief, mourning, and adaptation after loss.
1. What “Bereavement” Means
- Bereavement: the objective condition of having lost someone through death.
- Grief: the internal emotional response to that loss.
- Mourning: the outward expression of grief (rituals, crying, funerals, cultural practices).
Some psychologists might study how these processes affect:
- emotions
- cognition
- behavior
- identity
- relationships
2. Some Typical Psychological Reactions to Bereavement
Common reactions could include:
Emotional
- sadness
- longing or yearning
- anger
- guilt
- loneliness
Cognitive
- intrusive memories
- thinking about the deceased constantly
- difficulty concentrating
- temporary disbelief
Physical
- fatigue
- sleep disturbances
- appetite changes
Behavioral
- social withdrawal
- visiting meaningful places
- maintaining symbolic bonds with the deceased
These reactions could be normal adaptive responses, not mental illness.
3. Some Major Psychological Models of Bereavement
1. Stage Model of Grief
Five commonly described reactions:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Modern psychology might emphasize that people do not experience these in a fixed order.
2. Attachment Model
Grief could be seen as a response to the loss of an attachment bond.
Typical phases:
- Shock and numbness
- Yearning and searching
- Disorganization
- Reorganization
This might model explain why grief might feel like separation distress.
3. Dual Process Model
Grieving people oscillate between two coping modes:
Loss-oriented
- crying
- remembering
- longing
Restoration-oriented
- rebuilding life
- adapting to new roles
- focusing on daily functioning
Healthy grieving could involve in moving back and forth between these modes.
4. Continuing Bonds Theory
Instead of “letting go,” some people might often maintain a continuing psychological relationship with the deceased through:
- memories
- dreams
- symbolic communication
- feeling their presence
Modern grief psychology could consider this normal and healthy.
4. Bereavement Hallucinations or “Grief Visions”
Some bereaved individuals might report experiences such as:
- sensing the presence of the deceased
- hearing their voice
- seeing them briefly in dreams or waking states
Psychology typically could interpret these as:
Some research might suggest that some widowed people experience something like this.
- normal grief phenomena
- attachment-related imagery
- memory activation during emotional stress
Parapsychology might study them as possible anomalous experiences.
5. When Grief Becomes Clinical
Most grief gradually softens.
But sometimes it becomes persistent and impairing.
This condition is called:
- Prolonged Grief Disorder
Symptoms may include:
- intense yearning lasting over a year
- inability to accept the death
- identity disruption
- severe functional impairment
Treatment may involve grief therapy or specialized psychotherapy.
6. Goals of Bereavement Adaptation
Healthy adjustment does not mean forgetting the person.
Psychologically, the goals could be:
- accepting the reality of the loss
- integrating the memory of the deceased
- rebuilding meaning in life
- forming a continuing bond without disabling distress
There can also a fascinating overlap between bereavement psychology and anomalous experiences (after-death communications, grief apparitions, crisis visions).
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 