Disenfranchised Grief Essay

768 Words2 Pages

Disenfranchised Grief
Grief is an important component in dealing with bereavement. Unable to access to grief can be very problematic. Although the word grief and bereavement often associated with a deceased person, in fact, grief and bereavement is not only limited to a loss of a person. It can be the loss of an object, health, animal or relationship that cannot be recover. The impact of grieving on bereavement can be socially, mentally, physically and emotionally (Harvey, 1998). I wasn’t grieving on the loss of the relationship between my father and I until I was fifteen year old. Before, this relationship seemed normal to me because I was surrounded in culture with a belief that a son is more important than a daughter. My younger brother was born when I was six year …show more content…

In my case, my loss, a relationship that never existed seemed minor compared to people who actually owned it then lost it. On the other hand, the loss is stigmatizing for me due to culture norm so the loss cannot be openly acknowledged and socially supported. In the Western culture, the sex of the baby didn’t seem to matter that much in contrast to China. I was ashamed of my own ethnicity. I didn’t want to discuss openly because I was afraid others would judge and criticize my family. I loved my family so I couldn’t bear if someone is disvaluing my family. My culture constructed my reality. Because I was experiencing disfranchised grief so I couldn’t be discussed my loss openly. I was feeling isolated because I had no one to talk with. My grief was hidden and rotted in me. Disenfranchised grief is more problematic to grief and reaction are complicated (Doka, 1999). It can intensify the emotional reactions towards the loss such as negative emotions like anger, hopelessness and guilt (Gilbert ,2007). Moreover, disenfranchised grief usually doesn’t have social support by others, the lack of socially supported is a factor that is likely to increase the possibility of a

More about Disenfranchised Grief Essay

Open Document