Abstract
Whether a bright, idyllic, cloud-filled heaven, or the fiery depths of hell, most people have some perception of the afterlife. In most cases, one’s idea of the afterlife is based in some type of religious or spiritual belief system. Trust in a type of afterlife because of religious conviction can lead one to be less distraught after the passing of a person close to them due to the comfort in knowing that the deceased is in a “better place”. Having religion to fall back on as a type of emotional touchstone can keep one level headed in the grieving process. This kind of security is especially crucial to teenagers coping with tragedy who do not have much life experience to guide them through the stages of grief. The question arises as to how exactly religious belief can affect the grieving process of teenagers. This study aims to draw out the connection between religious belief and the grieving process in Catholic teenagers experiencing the loss of a peer, in hopes of proving that some sort of faith in a higher power can be an affective aid in how teenagers handle grief.
Christian Religious Belief and the Grieving Process in Teenagers
Discussion
As early as 1991, researchers conducted studies to discover the affiliation between religious belief and the grieving process. In 1991, David E. Balk, a Ph.D. with expertise in adolescent development, grief counseling, and bereavement during adolescence, performed a study to learn the “impact of attitudes towards religion upon grief reactions” (Becker, Blum, Xander, Lutterbach, Momm, Gysels, & Higginson, 2007). Balk’s study sampled a group of 42 adolescents (ages 14-19) dealing with the death of a sibling in the past 4 to 84 months. Balk investigated...
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...all. Whereas it will take the non-religious students more time to grieve the loss of their peer because they do not have a definitive answer as to where their friend is now or why they were taken away.
Works Cited
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...t won’t provide any shortcuts. However, religion can provide a good moral support network, and serve as a healthy place to begin processing the grief experience.
Puchalski, C. M., Dorff, D. E., Hebbar, B. N., & Hendi, Y. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and end of life care. RELIGION, SPRITUALITY, AND END OF LIFE CARE. Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/religion-spirituality-and-end-of-life-care?source=search_result&search=Religion%2C+spirituality%2C+and+end+of+life+care&selectedTitle=1%7E146#
In 1969 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a psychiatrist, published the Pioneering book On Death and Dying. The work acquainted the world with the grieving process, called the five stages of grief. Kübler-Ross gathered her research from studying individuals with terminal cancer (Johnson, 2007). The first stage of the grieving process is denial. In this stage the person refuses to believe that their loved one is deceased, a common thought during this period is, “This can’t be happening to me” (Johnson, 2007).The second stage of the grieving process is anger. In this level the person becomes frustrated with their circumstances, a customary complaint is “Why is this happening to me?” (Johnson, 2007). The third stage of the grieving process is bargaining. At this point the individual hopes that they can prevent their grief, this typically involves bartering with a higher power, and an ordinary observance during this time is “I will do anything to have them back” (Johnson, 2007). The fourth and most identifiable stage of grief is depression. This phase is habitually the lengthiest as...
Individually, everyone has their own methods of dealing with situations and emotions regardless of any positive or negative connotation affixed to them. One prime example of this comes with grief. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book “On Death and Dying” suggests that there are five stages of mourning and grief that are universal and, at one point or another, experienced by people from all walks of life. These stages, in no particular order, are as follows: Denial and Isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and finally Acceptance. Each individual person works through these stages in different orders for varying levels of time and intensity, but most if not all are necessary to “move on.” In order for positive change to occur following a loss, one must come to terms with not only the event but also themselves.
Children and adults that are familiar with God and that have been taught that God is love, often associated their traumatic experiences in a negative way to their spirituality. Children and adults may relate their trauma experienced to a retribution by a punitive God and it can disrupt their spiritual belief and connection with God or a divine being (Bryant-Davis, et al., 2012). Individuals’ that have experienced trauma at times develop a negative and unsafe view of the world. The world is no longer a safe place for them. This negative connotation of the world could lead to many adverse effects throughout the development stages of a person. It could lead to mental health as well as a complete rejection of one’s faith, and mistrust that can lead to the inhibition of formatting healthy relationships with others or with God. Although, children and adults could develop a negative view against their God due to the negative experience, spirituality can also be a source of strength and a mechanism that can lead to recovery. Many times victims of a traumatic event use their spirituality as a form of coping skill that leads to a better understanding and acceptance of their past or present circumstances. This positive view of spirituality can later be restored through means of different styles of
Throughout the history of mankind there are two main things that are guaranteed in life, taxes and death. According to researchers at Hebrews For Christians, 56,000,000 people die each year, (Parson, 2014). Many of these people die at ripe old ages while there are a plethora of young people who die slow and tragic deaths. When death occurs many people are not prepared and therefore many devastating things can result from this. People usually experience problems with their emotions, they will stress over a number of situations, and many health issues will arise. Many people become depressed for long periods of time and give up on life. Although there are people who take these experiences to heart, there are many ways a person can deal with these problems. Dealing with these problems in a healthy manner, can lead to a very healthy healing process for everyone who is being affected by it. In this research paper I will discuss three main keys points. The first key point I will discuss the stages of death in the Kubler - Ross Model. Secondly I will discuss is the psychological effect of how death can effect people in many different ways. Third and final, I will show you many different ways a person can deal with grief.
The wandering thoughts of a grieving daughter after her mother’s death are sure to come with sadness unless the daughter does not feel any grief. Derricotte
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Jerry Sittser’s book not only brings readers into loss with all its real emotions and pain but it also highlights truths that can be applied to anyone’s life. Sittser’s faith is evident throughout the book and his struggle of finding his faith within his loss and sorrow is encouraging to many. In the end, through his loss, he finds God again and through the writing of his book is now able to offer many insights on the Christian perspectives of sorrow, loss, forgiveness and how mental illness affects families. Sittser inspires readers because they have witnessed that they can too grow and continue living life despite their loss and without forgetting their loss.
Job was an honest, God fearing husband and father who lived long ago. His story is told in the Bible where we see everything that he loves taken from him, and in the end even his own health. Due to his wrath from God he experiences grief and finally finds favor with God. Kübler-Ross’s study of those who were grief stricken and suffering a terminal illness began her search for a process to assist them with accepting terminal illness and grief. She defined and divided grief in five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and ultimately acceptance. In this paper the author will compare the story of Job and how it correlates to the grieving process defined by Kübler-Ross. A comparison of the relationship and interaction between joy and grieving will be madthcare professional has an opportunity to help balance the activities of strengthening and disputing in the face of grief and bereavement (O’ Brien, 2011, p.321). As Gods instrument, part of a healthcare professionals’ calling is understanding the grieving process, and giving comfort and guidance to those who are suffering amidst ...
Leming, M., & Dickinson, G. (2011). Understanding dying, death, & bereavement. (7th ed., pp. 471-4). Belmont, California: Wadsworth.
...ople cope with death. It is necessary for nurses to have empathy, compassion, and kindness when providing care for a dying patient and their family. Having a good knowledge base on important customs and rituals specific to certain religions will give nurses a better understanding of patient backgrounds. This will enable nurses to better help patients through grieving processes and will allow nurses to gain a better understanding of the patient’s family’s expectations post- death. Furthermore, the knowledge nurses gain about various aspects of religion, may help them to be unbiased toward their patients beliefs in relation to their own. This will permit nurses to have a therapeutic relationship with patients and families and will allow nurses to provide quality care. Providing religious support to patients and their families is significant when coping with death.
Everyone has or will experience a loss of a loved one sometime in their lives. It is all a part of the cycle of life and death. The ways each person copes with this loss may differ, but according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s novel On Death and Dying, a person experiences several stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and, finally, acceptance. There is no set time for a person to go through each stage because everyone experiences and copes with grief differently. However, everyone goes through the same general feelings of grief and loss. There are also sections in Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” that connect to the process of grieving: “On Pain,” “On Joy and Sorrow,” and “On Talking.” Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” reflects on Kübler-Ross’s model of the different stages of grief and loss.
The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.
Losing a child is one of the most traumatic events a person can ever experience. This life changing experience is very difficult for parents to cope with. Grief is something we all experience as human beings; we will all lose someone that we love in our lifetime. We all go through the five stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and last being acceptance (Bolden, 2007). However, this is arguably not the case for parents who experience the death of a child. Although, parents who have experienced...