Bereavement Narratives: Continuing Bonds in the 21st Century

9780415457309

0415457300

Bereavement is often treated as a psychological condition of the individual with both healthy and pathological forms. However, this empirically-grounded study argues that this is not always the best or only way to help bereaved people. In a radical departure, it emphasises normality and social and cultural diversity in grieving.Illustrated by recent research, Bereavement Narratives explores the extent to which dead loved ones may retain a social presence in the life of survivors and how bereavement interacts with other agendas to shape people's day to day experience and sense of identity. As such, it presents a perspective that does justice to the complexity of each, and contributes to the broader picture of bereavement that reflects the increasing fragmentation and multiculturalism of British society.By focusing on the way people make sense of their worlds, this book expands current thinking on the nature of the continuing bonds people forge with dead loved ones to reveal a discourse of care and reciprocity; the role of deathbed accounts in people's ongoing relationships; and the way the dead may gain a presence in the interview situation. Drawing attention to the profoundly social nature of grief, it considers the practical implications this has for supporting bereaved people.This book is an innovative and invaluable read for all students and researchers of death, dying and bereavement.