This article reviews some aspects of society's changing views on mourning and comments on the ambivalence with which society regards the mourner because of his association with death and loss. In this century, the disciplines of psychiatry and psychology have increasingly stepped in to fill the role vacated by the Church in relation to the needs of the mourner. The following two articles will elaborate on aspects of therapy with patients who have experienced loss, not only by death but also by other means such as separation or divorce.
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