Adelphicare
Module 3 · Part 2 of 5

Loss and grief: focus on death and bereavement

← Back to Module 3  ·  You can open the Handbook at any point to refer to the full, relevant section.
Loss, grief and suffering: what are they? Loss and grief: focus on death and bereavement How grief can be seen Common phases of grief Loss and grief: helping a friend who is mourning ← Back to Module 3
These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

— 1 Peter 1:7

Having looked at broader issues of loss, we now focus on grief arising from death. In a long-respected 1972 study, J. William Worden concluded there are six main factors that determine the degree of grief a person experiences:

  1. Who was the person — spouse, parent, baby, son/daughter, sibling, relative, friend, work colleague; what was their age?
  2. What was the nature of the attachment? Its strength (close bond or acquaintance), its security (extent of emotional and/or financial security), and any ambivalence in the relationship ("hot or cold," or distance).
  3. Mode of death — sudden death, or long illness.
  4. Historical antecedents — what previous grief experiences has the person had? Is the person grieving emotionally?
  5. Personality variables — is the person grieving emotionally stable or volatile?
  6. Social variables — gender, spirituality, socio-economic status, culture, and what support they have (church, work, club, etc).
Something to consider

Try to see how the aspects above may apply to one person in your experience. (If you feel comfortable, you may like to reflect on your own experience in a grieving situation.)

How grief can be seen

Continue to the next part of Module 3.

← Loss, grief and suffering: what are they? How grief can be seen →
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