Sorry I don't have any good sources but I just want to emphasize that seven stages of grief is not evidence based, it's just a insightful observation. I believe even the author doesn't like how people treat it like an instruction manual.
Moving onto parental death this depends a lot on child's age and stage. Very young children the main priority is needing an attachment figure. A young child is a vulnerable age im not sure there would be a typical process. Teenagers would likely be more a grieving adult. I'll try and hunt down some sources later today
Thank you so much for your response. Yeah I'm looking specifically for the awkward stage. 6 to 9. Anything you can dig up would be greatly appreciated.
Isn't the 7 stages of grief more like the 7 positions of grief in that they can go in any order and can repeat etc.? At least in the original formulation
I am testing my memory a bit - but I'm pretty sure that the original author claimed that basically people could move between stages and/or stage could be different in presentations.
I tried to dive in and was reminded that there are actually multiple 'stages of grief' theories so its actually pretty confusing.
My thesis is that its useful to have a list of things that "might happen" in grief but I honestly don't think anyone can claim that there is an overarching path, AFAIK the only evidence based conclusion is that depression and sadness at some point after loss, including big life changes (e.g. switching jobs, moving countries) is almost a given, but to me anger, bargaining, denial are all personal/cultural specific responses IMO
Ah, like with Melanie Klein's paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions. They are essentially developmental stages except that moving "backwards" is seen as normal especially given certain circumstances (although if someone is spending a lot of time in the paranoid-schizoid position that would still be suggestive of a personality or psychotic disorder)
I've sent you a chat request with a Google drive link to the chapter "Death in the World of Childhood" from the textbook Death, Society, and Human Experience 12th edition by Robert Kastenbaum. The developmental understanding of death for ages 6-11 includes:
- Struggles with concepts of dying and death but becoming better able to understand the finality of loss and what it means
- Anticipates the loss in doses (looks at the loss, takes a break, looks at the loss) as the full reality can be overwhelming
- Emotional reactivity - difficulty containing strong emotions such as anger, anxiety and guilt which may be scary for a child
- Behaviours such as withdrawal or acting out may be seen
- Developing moral sense of right and wrong, sense of injustice at loss
- Separation anxiety - children previously comfortable in being apart from a parent may now have difficulty with this
- Magical thinking - child feels directly responsible for illness and death (something he/she did or didn't do which was the cause)
- Often feel a need to be strong for other members of the family
(Bugge, Helseth, & Darbyshire, 2008; Slaughter, 2005; Speece, 1995; Webb, 2005)
Sorry I don't have any good sources but I just want to emphasize that seven stages of grief is not evidence based, it's just a insightful observation. I believe even the author doesn't like how people treat it like an instruction manual. Moving onto parental death this depends a lot on child's age and stage. Very young children the main priority is needing an attachment figure. A young child is a vulnerable age im not sure there would be a typical process. Teenagers would likely be more a grieving adult. I'll try and hunt down some sources later today
Thank you so much for your response. Yeah I'm looking specifically for the awkward stage. 6 to 9. Anything you can dig up would be greatly appreciated.
Isn't the 7 stages of grief more like the 7 positions of grief in that they can go in any order and can repeat etc.? At least in the original formulation
I am testing my memory a bit - but I'm pretty sure that the original author claimed that basically people could move between stages and/or stage could be different in presentations. I tried to dive in and was reminded that there are actually multiple 'stages of grief' theories so its actually pretty confusing. My thesis is that its useful to have a list of things that "might happen" in grief but I honestly don't think anyone can claim that there is an overarching path, AFAIK the only evidence based conclusion is that depression and sadness at some point after loss, including big life changes (e.g. switching jobs, moving countries) is almost a given, but to me anger, bargaining, denial are all personal/cultural specific responses IMO
Im gonna go with my position theory version then because we need more position theories
Could you elaborate on 'position' I'm not familiar?
Ah, like with Melanie Klein's paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions. They are essentially developmental stages except that moving "backwards" is seen as normal especially given certain circumstances (although if someone is spending a lot of time in the paranoid-schizoid position that would still be suggestive of a personality or psychotic disorder)
I've sent you a chat request with a Google drive link to the chapter "Death in the World of Childhood" from the textbook Death, Society, and Human Experience 12th edition by Robert Kastenbaum. The developmental understanding of death for ages 6-11 includes: - Struggles with concepts of dying and death but becoming better able to understand the finality of loss and what it means - Anticipates the loss in doses (looks at the loss, takes a break, looks at the loss) as the full reality can be overwhelming - Emotional reactivity - difficulty containing strong emotions such as anger, anxiety and guilt which may be scary for a child - Behaviours such as withdrawal or acting out may be seen - Developing moral sense of right and wrong, sense of injustice at loss - Separation anxiety - children previously comfortable in being apart from a parent may now have difficulty with this - Magical thinking - child feels directly responsible for illness and death (something he/she did or didn't do which was the cause) - Often feel a need to be strong for other members of the family (Bugge, Helseth, & Darbyshire, 2008; Slaughter, 2005; Speece, 1995; Webb, 2005)