Theories of bereavement continue to change and develop. This literature review explores the history of Western bereavement theories, beginning with Freud’s grief work, moving to the stage theories, and concluding with current constructivist thought of making meaning and continuing bonds with the deceased. Special consideration is given to gender and multicultural aspects of grief and loss. The review concludes with a discussion of the role of couple and family counselors.
Attig, T. (1991). The importance of conceiving of grief as an active process. Death Studies, 15, 385-393.
2.
Attig, T. (2004). Disenfranchised grief revisited: Discounting hope and love. Omega, 49, 197-215.
3.
Balk, D. E. (1991). Sibling death, adolescent bereavement, and religion. Death Studies, 15, 1-20.
4.
Balk, D. E. (2004). Recovery following bereavement: An examination of the concept. Death Studies, 28, 361-374.
5.
Becvar, D. S. (2003). The impact on the family therapist of a focus on death, dying, and bereavement. Journal of Marital Family Therapy, 29, 469-478.
6.
Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous loss: Learning to live with unresolved grief. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
7.
Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. London: Aronson.
8.
Bowlby, J. (1961). Process of mourning. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 42, 217-340.
9.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
10.
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. 3: Loss, sadness and depression. New York: Basic Books.
11.
Bowlby, J., & Parkes, C. M. (1970). Separation and loss within the family. In E. J. Anthony (Ed.), The child in his family (pp. 197-216). New York: Whiley.
12.
Cook, J. A. (1988). Dad’s double binds. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 17, 285-308.
13.
Conant, R. D. (1996). Memories of the death and life of a spouse: The role of images and sense of presence in grief. In D. Klass, P. Silverman, & S. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 179-196). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
14.
Crose, R., Nicholas, D. R., Gobble, D. C., & Frank, B. (1992). Gender and wellness: A multidimensional systems model for counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 149-156.
15.
Davies, R. (2004). New understandings of parental grief: Literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 46, 506-512.
16.
Davis, C., Wortman, C., Lehman D., & Silver, R. (2000). Searching for meaning in loss: Are clinical assumptions correct?Death Studies, 24, 497-540.
17.
Dyregrove, A., & Mattheisen, S. B. (1987). Similarities and differences in mothers’ and fathers’ grief following the death of an infant. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 28, 1-15.
18.
Feifel, H. (1959). The meaning of death. New York: McGraw-Hill.
19.
Feifel, H. (1977). Death in contemporary American. In H. Feifel (Ed.), New meanings of death (pp. 4-12). New York: McGraw-Hill.
20.
Field, N. P., Gal-Oz, E., & Bonanno, G. A. (2003). Continuing bonds and adjustment at 5 years after the death of a spouse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 110-117.
21.
Field, N., Gao, B., & Paderna, L. (2005). Continuing bonds in bereavement: An attachment theory perspective. Death Studies, 29, 277-299.
22.
Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue as secondary stress disorder: An overview. In C. R. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 1-20). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
23.
Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R. (1999). Loss and bereavement: Attachment theory and recent controversies concerning “grief work” and the nature of detachment. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research and clinical applications (pp. 735-759). New York: Guilford.
24.
Freud, S. (1957). Mourning and melancholia. In J. Strachey (Ed., Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 237-260). New York: Basic Books. (Original work published in 1917)
25.
Gamble, S. J. (2002). Self-care for bereavement counselors. In N. B. Webb (Ed.), Helping bereaved children: A handbook for practitioners (pp. 346-362). New York: Guilford.
26.
Gamino, L. A., & Sewell, K. W. (2004). Meaning constructs as predictors of bereavement adjustment: A report from the Scott & White grief study. Death Studies, 28, 397-422.
27.
Gamino, L. A., Sewell, K. W., & Easterling, L. W. (1998). Scott & White grief study: An empirical test of predictors of intensified mourning. Death Studies, 22, 333-355.
28.
Gamino, L. A., Sewell, K. W., & Easterling, L. W. (2000). Scott and White grief study—Phase 2: Toward an adaptive model of grief. Death Studies, 24, 633-660.
29.
George, L. K. (1990). Gender, age, and psychiatric disorders. Generations, 14, 22-27.
30.
Gilbert, K. R. (2002). Taking a narrative approach to grief research: Finding meaning in stories. Death Studies, 26, 223-240.
31.
Hughes, R. B. (1988). Grief counseling: Facilitating the healing process. Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 77-77.
32.
Johnson, S. E. (1987). After a child dies: Counseling bereaved families. New York: Springer.
33.
Jung, C. G. (1959). The soul and death. In H. Feifel (Ed.), The meaning of death (pp. 3-15). New York: McGraw-Hill.
34.
Kastenbaum, R. (1977). Death and development through the lifespan. In H. Fiefel (Ed.), New meanings of death (pp. 18-45). New York: McGraw-Hill.
35.
Klass, D. (1993). Solace and immortality: Bereaved parents’ continuing bond with their children. Death Studies, 17, 343-369.
36.
Klass, D. (1995). Spiritual aspects of the resolution of grief. In H. Wass & R. Neimeyer (Eds.), Dying: Facing the facts (pp. 243-268). Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis.
37.
Klass, D. (1996). Grief in an eastern culture: Japanese ancestor worship. In D. Klass, P. Silverman, & S. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 59-70), Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
38.
Klass, D. (1997). The deceased child in the psychic and social worlds of bereaved parents during the resolution of grief. Death Studies, 21, 147-177.
39.
Klass, D. (2003). The inner representation of the dead child in the psychic and social narratives of bereaved parents. In R. Neimeyer (Ed.), Meaning reconstruction and the experience of loss (pp. 77-94). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
40.
Knudson-Martin, C. (1994). The female voice: Application to Bowen’s family systems theory. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 20, 35-46.
41.
Kübler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York: Macmillan.
42.
Lindemann, E. (1944). Symptomatology and management of acute grief. American Journal of Psychiatry, 191, 141-148.
43.
Littlewood, J., Cramer, D., Hoeskstra, J., & Humphry, G. (1991). Gender differences in parental coping following their child’s death. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 19, 139-148.
44.
Marrone, R. (1999). Dying, mourning, and spirituality: A psychological perspective. Death Studies, 23, 495-519.
45.
Martin, R. L., & Doka, K. J. (2000). Men don’t cry... women do: Transcending gender stereotypes of grief. Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.
46.
McBride, J., & Simms, S. (2001). Death in the family: Adapting a family systems framework to the grief process. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 29, 59-73.
47.
McGoldrick, M. (1991a). Echos from the past: Helping families mourn their losses. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 50-78). New York: W.W. Norton.
48.
McGoldrick, M. (1991b). The legacy of loss. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 104-129). New York: W.W. Norton.
49.
McGoldrick, M. (2004). Legacies of loss: Multigenerational ripple effects. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (3rd ed., pp. 61-84). New York: W.W. Norton.
50.
McGoldrick, M., Almeida, R., Hines, P. M., Rosen, E., Garcia-Preto, N., & Lee, E. (1991). Mourning in different cultures. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 176-206). New York: W.W. Norton.
51.
McGoldrick, M., & Walsh, F. (1995). A time to mourn: Death and the family life cycle. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 30-49). New York: W.W. Norton.
52.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
53.
Murphy, S., Johnson, C., & Lohan, J. (2003). Finding meaning in a child’s violent death: A five-year prospective analysis of parents’ personal narratives and empirical data. Death Studies, 27, 381-404.
54.
Murphy, S., Johnson, L. C., Weber, N. A. (2002). Coping strategies following a child’s violent death: How parents differ in their responses. Omega, 45, 99-118.
55.
Murphy, S. A., Johnson, C. L., Carin, K. C., Gupta, A. D., Dimond, M., & Lohan, J. (1998). Broad-spectrum group treatment for parents bereaved by the violent deaths of their 12-to 28-year-old children: A randomized controlled trail. Death Studies, 22, 209-235.
56.
Nadeau, J. W. (1998). Families making sense of death. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
57.
Neimeyer, R. A. (2000). Searching for the meaning of meaning: Grief therapy and the process of reconstruction. Death Studies, 24, 541-558.
58.
Neimeyer, R. A. (2003). Meaning reconstruction and loss. In R. Neimeyer (Ed.), Meaning reconstruction and the experience of loss (pp. 1-12). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
59.
Nerken, I. R. (1993). Grief and the reflective self: Toward a clearer model of loss resolution and growth. Death Studies, 17, 1-26.
60.
Parkes, C. M. (1993). Bereavement as a psychosocial transition: Processes of adaptation to change. In M. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, & R. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement (pp. 91-101). New York: Cambridge University Press.
61.
Parkes, C. M., Laungani, P., & Young, B. (1997a). Death and bereavement across cultures. London: Routledge.
62.
Parkes, C. M., Laungani, P., & Young, B. (1997b). Culture and religion. In C. M. Parkes, P. Laugani, and B. Young (Eds.), Death and bereavement across cultures (pp. 10-23). London: Routledge.
63.
Rando, T. A. (1985). Bereaved parents: Particular difficulties, unique factors, and treatment issues. Social Work, 30, 19-24.
64.
Rando, T. A. (1986). Parental loss of a child. Champaign, IL: Research.
65.
Rando, T. A. (1995). Grief and mourning: Accommodating to loss. In H. Wass & R. Neimeyer (Eds.), Dying: Facing the facts (pp. 211-242). Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis.
66.
Richards, T. A., Acree, M., & Folkman, S. (1999). Spiritual aspects of loss among partners of men with aids: Postbereavement follow-up. Death Studies, 23, 105-127.
67.
Riches, G., & Dawson, P. (1996a). An intimate loneliness: Evaluating the impact of a child’s death on parental self-identity and marital relationships. Journal of Family Therapy, 18, 1-22.
68.
Riches, G., & Dawson, P. (1996b). Communities of feeling: The culture of bereaved parents. Mortality, 1, 143-162.
69.
Rimmon-Kenan, S. (2002). The story of “I”: Illness and narrative identity. Narrative, 10, 9-27.
70.
Rodin, J., & Ickovics, J. R. (1990). Women’s health: Review and research agenda as we approach the 21st century. American Psychologist, 45, 1018-1034.
71.
Rosenblatt, P. C. (1997). Grief in small scale societies. In C. M. Parkes, P. Laugani, & B. Young (Eds.), Death and bereavement across cultures (pp. 27-51). London: Routledge.
72.
Rosenblatt, P. C., Spoentgen, P., Karis, T. A., Dahl, C., Kaiser, T., & Elde, C. (1991). Difficulties in supporting the bereaved. Omega, 23, 119-128.
73.
Rowa-Dewar, N. (2002). Do interventions make a difference to bereaved parents? A systematic review of controlled studies. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 8, 452-457.
74.
Schaefer, J. A. & Moos, R. H. (2003). Bereavement experiences and personal growth. In M. Storebe, R. Hannson, W. Stroebe, & H. Schut (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping and care (pp. 145-168). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
75.
Schwab, R. (1990). Paternal and maternal coping with the death of a child. Death Studies, 14, 407-422.
76.
Schwab, R. (1995). Bereaved parents and support group participation. Omega, 32, 49-61.
77.
Sedney, M. A., Baker, J. E. & Gross, E. (1994). “The story” of death: Therapeutic considerations with bereaved families. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 20, 287-296.
78.
Shapiro, E. R. (1994). Grief as a family process: A developmental approach to clinical practice. New York: Guilford.
79.
Sidmore, K. V. (1999). Parental bereavement: Levels of grief as affected by gender issues. Omega, 40, 351-374.
80.
Silverman, P. R., & Klass, W. (1996). Introduction: What’s the problem? In D. Klass, P. R. Silverman, & S. L. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 3-23). Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.
81.
Silverman, P. R., & Nickman, S. L. (1996). Children’s construction of their dead parents. In D. Klass, P. R. Silverman, & S. L. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 73-86). Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.
82.
Stroebe, M. S. (2002). Paving the way: From early attachment theory to contemporary bereavement research. Mortality, 7, 127-138.
83.
Stroebe, M. (1992). Coping with bereavement: A review of the grief work hypothesis. Omega, 40, 351-374.
84.
Stroebe, M., Gergen, M., Gergen, K., & Stroebe, W. (1996). Broken hearts of broken bonds? In D. Klass, P. Silverman, & S. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 31-44). Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis.
85.
Stroebe, M., Hansson, R., Stroebe, W., & Schut, H. (2002). Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping and care. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
86.
Stroebe, M., & Stroebe, W. (1991). Does “grief work” work?Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 479-482.
87.
Stroebe, M., Stroebe, W., & Hannson R. (1993). Bereavement research and theory: An introduction to the handbook. In M. Strobe, W. Strobe, & R. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement: Theory, research and intervention (pp. 3-22). New York: Cambridge University Press.
88.
Stroebe, M., Stroebe, W., Schut, H., Zech, W., & van den Bout, J. (2002). Does disclosure of emotions facilitate recovery from bereavement? Evidence from two prospective studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 169-178.
89.
Walsh, F. (2004). Spirituality, death and loss. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 182-212). New York: W.W. Norton.
90.
Walsh, F., & McGoldrick, M. (2004). Loss and the family: A systemic perspective. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 3-26). New York: W.W. Norton.
91.
Walter, T. (1994). The revival of death. London: Routledge.
92.
Worden, W. J. (1982). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner. New York: Springer.
93.
Worden, W. J. (1991). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
94.
Worden, W. J. (1996). Children and grief: When a parent dies. New York: Guilford.
95.
Worden, W. J. (2002). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner (3rd ed.). New York: Springer.
96.
Wortman, C. B., & Silver, R. C. (1989). The myths of coping with loss. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 349-357.
