HERE IS THE MAIN POST

For this discussion, please answer each of the following:

1.Which one of the myths of coping with grief (Wortman & Silver, 2001) surprised you or stood out to you? Please include some of the scholarly literature that you found on the topic.

2.The Callahan (2009) article discusses the shift in attitudes about death. What stood out to you about this article? Please review the literature on spiritual and cultural considerations for death, dying, and palliative care. Share with the class an interesting article that you found.

HERE IS THE RESPOND TO THE MAIN POST

ANDREWS RESPOND

Wortman and Silver (2001) explored the myths of coping with grief, identifying assumptions about the grieving process: (1) loss produces intense personal distress; (2) failure to experience the distress suggests a problem; (3) individuals need to work through their problems in order to successfully adjust to the loss; (4) continued attachment beyond the normal grieving period is considered pathological; and (5) society assumes a recovery time of one or two years before we resume normal functioning.

The biggest surprise was the study’s take on working through grief. Studies occasionally reframe grief as an opportunity. For instance, Parkes (1998) considered grief a pathway to increased maturity and personal growth. He also differed from Wortman and Silver (2001) by linking repressed grief to conditions like sleep disorders, hypochondria, and depression — an argument that often leads researchers to recommend proactive grief therapy. However, Wortman and Silver (2001) questioned the efficacy of aggressively working through loss, citing research that showed mixed results. The study goes against crowd wisdom and pop psychology, yet the authors make a case for dealing with grief in whatever way feels best.

Callahan (2009) asked important questions related to death attitudes. I was especially interested in his argument of medical utopianism. I understand the phrase but admittedly find it somewhat disingenuous. Refusing to accept death is hardly a new or radical attitude, for instance. And we know survival is hardwired into our DNA. Yet Callahan (2009) raised key points about the way we think about death.

Although spirituality and religiosity correlate to acceptance of death (Daaleman & Dobbs, 2010) other studies suggest religious affiliation drives end-of-life decision-making, including the decision to fight impending death at all costs (Chakraborty et al., 2017). However we understand death, the key is respecting the belief systems of clients from different religious traditions, whether they believe in euthanasia or fighting until the end. A health psychologist consults with clients and families in the end-of-life process instead of imposing an expectation of normalcy on the situation. The key is listening to clients instead of forcing solutions.

References

Callahan D. (2009). Death, mourning, and medical progress. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 52(1), 103-15. doi: 10.1353/pbm.0.0067

Chakraborty, R., El-Jawahri, A.R., Litzow, M.R., Syrjala, K.L., Parnes, A.D., & Hashmi, S.K. (2017). A systematic review of religious beliefs about major end-of-life issues in the five major world religions. Palliative & Supportive Care, 15(5), 609622. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951516001061

Daaleman, T.P., & Dobbs, D. (2010). Religiosity, spirituality, and death attitudes in chronically ill older adults. Research on Aging, 32(2):224-243. doi: 10.1177/0164027509351476

Parkes C. M. (1998). Bereavement in adult life. BMJ, 316(7134), 856859. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.316.7134.856

Wortman, C. B., & Silver, R. C. (2001). The myths of coping with loss revisited. In M. S. Stroebe, R. O. Hansson, W. Stroebe, & H. Schut (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care (p. 405429). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10436-017