This article discusses the multigenerational effects of grief and trauma. When grief and trauma are not attended to with awareness and compassion in one generation, the deleterious effects of that trauma and grief cascade through the family tree, creating a domino effect of dysfunction. How this cascade manifests within individuals and families is explored.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BeckerE.1973. The denial of death.New York: Free Press.
2.
BowenM.1991. Family reaction to death. In Living beyond loss, edited by WalshF. and McGoldrickM., 79–92. New York: Norton.
3.
BowlbyJ.1951. Maternal care and mental health.Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
4.
BowlbyJ.1980. Loss: Sadness and depression. Attachment and Loss, Vol. 3. London: Hogarth.
5.
ColemanS. B.1991. Intergenerational patterns of traumatic loss: Death and despair in addict families. In Living beyond loss, edited by WalshF. and McGoldrickM., 260–72. New York: Norton.
6.
DanieliY.1989. Mourning in survivors and children of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust: The role of group and community modalities. In The problem of loss and mourning, edited by DietrichD. and ShabadP., 427–60. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.
7.
DietrichD., and ShabadP., eds. 1989. The problem of loss and mourning.Madison, CT: International Universities Press.
8.
EisenstadtJ. M.1978. Parental loss and genius. American Psychologist33:211–23.
9.
HerzF.1980. The impact of death and serious illness on the family life cycle. In The family life cycles: A framework for family therapy, edited by CarterE. and McGoldrickM.. New York: Gardner.
10.
HolmesT., and RakeR. H.. 1967. The Social Adjustment Rating Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research11:213–218.
11.
MacyJ. (n.d.). The elm dance. Unpublished pamphlet.
12.
McGoldrickM., and GersonR.. 1985. Genograms in family assessment.New York: Norton.
13.
Mitscherlich-NielsonM.1989. The inability to mourn—Today. Translated by B. Placzek. In The problem of loss and mourning, edited by DietrichD. and ShabadP., 405–26. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.
14.
NeugartenB.1970. Dynamics of transition of middle age to old age: Adaptation and the life cycle. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry4:71–87.
15.
PaulN.1974. The use of empathy in the resolution of grief. In Normal and pathological responses to bereavement, edited by EllardJ.. New York: MSS Information Corporation.
16.
PaulN., and GrossenG.. 1965. Operational mourning and its role in conjoint family therapy. Community Mental Health Journal1 (4): 339–45.
17.
RandoT. A.1993. Treatment of complicated mourning.Champaign, IL: Research Press.
18.
ShapiroE.1994. Grief as a family process.New York: Guilford.
19.
WalshF., and McGoldrickM., eds. 1991. Living beyond loss.New York: Norton.