The Psychology of Grief

Catalog description

Psychology 445 will examine grief processes that take place within individuals and families as they experience loss. The course will focus on the nature and causes of grief as well as strategies for effective counseling interventions. There will be an emphasis on loss due to death, however, other types of psychosocial and physical losses will also be considered. Accordingly, we will explore a variety of factors that facilitate and/or impede the ability to function after loss. The course will initially trace the development of dominant models of grief and their historical and theoretical underpinnings. Considerable emphasis will be on examining the grief process as it is played out in the context of family. The family is seen as an interactive system, with a complex mix of actions, perceptions and expectations that influences relationships and the experience of grief among family members. This course will also consider a postmodern view of bereavement as a complex phenomenon embedded in a unique context involving social, cultural, philosophical and psychological factors. Senior standing required.