Varieties of Grief and Grieving

This class considers several approaches to understanding grief within the human experience. The concept of grief and what it means to be bereaved will be discussed. Early "grief work" theories that promote detachment and more current theories that advocate the integration of deceased loved ones into our ongoing lives will be explored. Evolutionary and neurological theories of grief and grieving will also be discussed, as well as different types of grief, such as acute, prolonged, ambiguous, disenfranchised, and anticipatory. You will also learn about grief trajectories and beneficial techniques and recommendations when talking to grieving people. Upon completion of this class, you should have a better understanding of why grief is individualized and how, perhaps surprisingly, the same person can grieve differently depending on the death.

This class consists of two 1.5-hour lecture/discussion sessions.