What is Grief?

Humans establish relationships by nature (Colominas, n.d.). Thus, throughout life, they build bonds that allow them to meet their needs for security and protection in childhood, identity development in adolescence, and giving and receiving love in adulthood. This impulse to connect with the outside world arises from the moment the baby is born and begins to relate to its mother (Colominas, n.d.). Therefore, it is normal for them to face numerous and diverse losses during the life cycle, leading them to experience a grieving process (Vargas, 2003). According to Vargas (2003), the way to express this pain depends on various factors, such as culture, religion, the circumstances of the loss, among others.

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What is Grief?

The term "duelo" has its origin in the Latin word "dolus," which means pain or suffering (Cante, 2021). It refers to the psychological process that individuals go through when facing a loss, primarily involving emotional adaptation, but also encompassing physiological, cognitive, and behavioral aspects (Martin, 2021). In correspondence with Zurita (2018), some losses are more significant than others, and therefore, people feel their pain with varying intensity.

It should be emphasized that not all losses are physical in nature; they can also be abstract (Martin, 2021). In other words, grief does not only occur due to the death of a loved one or a pet with whom emotional and affective bonds existed but also in situations involving significant changes, such as moving, a new job, a change of school, among others (Cante, 2021). In short, grief is the process by which one accepts, assimilates, and overcomes any loss experienced throughout life (Vargas, 2003). Thus, it can be concluded that grief is not an illness or depression (Laso, 2021). However, according to Laso (2021), grief can lead to many depressive symptoms, such as sadness, apathy, anhedonia, motor slowing, memory problems, among others.

Despite grief being a normal process, it can turn into pathological grief if individuals do not adequately process any of the stages or tasks of grief (Laso, 2021). This can result in unresolved grief, preventing the person from moving on with their life without the loss significantly interfering, feeling overwhelmed, and even resorting to inappropriate and unhealthy behaviors. Therefore, it is crucial for individuals going through grief to seek the help of a health professional, as psychological therapy facilitates the support of mourners in this process, whether it is normal or pathological grief, helping the individual process it in a more adaptive way and redirect their life through acceptance and value-oriented action (Laso, 2021). However, as noted by Ortego et al. (n.d.), health professionals cannot prevent death or the suffering it causes, but this does not prevent them from providing necessary and effective assistance in moments of pain.

References

1. Cante, D. (2021). 6 etapas del duelo - perdidas emocionales. Tendencias y actualidad para la salud y el bienestar | Blog DoctorAkí. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de https://www.doctoraki.com/blog/psicologia/6-etapas-del-duelo-perdidas-emocionales-doctoraki/

2. Colominas, A. ​El duelo: afrontando la pérdida de un ser querido. Psicologiaymente.com. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de https://psicologiaymente.com/psicologia/duelo-afrontando-perdida

3. Laso, I. (2021). ¿QUÉ ES Y QUÉ NO ES EL DUELO?. Activa Psicología y Formación. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de http://www.activapsicologia.com/que-es-y-que-no-es-el-duelo/

4. Martin, E. (2021). Las 5 fases (o etapas) del duelo: la teoría de Kübler-Ross. Centro Psicología Integral MC. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de https://centrodepsicologiaintegral.com/las-5-fases-o-etapas-del-duelo-la-teoria-de-kubler-ross/

5. Ortego, M., et al. El Duelo. Ocw.unican.es. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de https://ocw.unican.es/pluginfile.php/1575/course/section/2034/tema-11.pdf

6. Vargas, R. (2003). Duelo y pérdida. Scielo.sa.cr. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1409-00152003000200005

7. Zurita, G. (2018). DUELO: Qué es y qué etapas tiene | El proceso de despedirse. Instituto Galene. Recuperado 24 August 2021, a partir de https://galene.es/duelo/que-es-el-duelo-las-etapas-del-duelo/