Eric Lindemann's Symptomatology And Management Of Acute Grief

When a loved one dies a person is often overcome with a variety of emotions including, but not limited to, sorrow, anger, and grief. Grief takes many forms, some are healthy and normal, while others are abnormal and may cause possible future damage to a person’s psyche. In his Symptomatology and Management of Acute Grief, Eric Lindemann discusses normal and abnormal grief and the physical and mental side effects of each. Acute or abnormal grief often resulted in a physical representation of a person’s grief. Agitated depression, hostility and anger, lack of social interaction and sometimes the onset of an actual illness occurred in those who suffered from acute grief. Although all individuals in his did not show all effects he mentioned it

For most, this is the first meeting with funeral workers, especially if this is their first time dealing with a death in which they had to prepare for. At that time the most relevant emotions are likely shock, denial, perhaps anger, and kicks off the grieving process. For decedents who were diagnosed with a terminal illness, it is possible and likely that they themselves and their family has prepared for the imminent death, if so, then acceptance and relief are also likely at the first encounter. For funeral workers this is the first encounter with another’s heightened emotions, however, transference is not likely to occur now. Later that day or in the week the family will likely come in for arrangements, this is where transference likely starts and continues through the service and disposition of the individual. Many people share stories and remarks about their loved one at the time of the arrangements and ceremony of at the time of disposition. For funeral workers, this is a point in time where they are learning about a person and sympathize or relate themselves and their personal relationships to those of the family and the deceased. When a person can relate to another individual or event it makes it more likely that their feelings may be the same as the person. Transference is almost like the Mandela effect, few people recognize that another’s feelings have been assigned to

A., & Strickland, A. L. (2015). The last dance: encountering death and dying. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Lindemann, E. (1963). Symptomatology and management of acute grief. Pastoral Psychology,14(6), 8-18. doi:10.1007/bf01770375

Lynch, T. (2003). Good grief. Christian Century, 120(15), 20.

The Mandela Effect Test - Mandela Effect Quiz Challenge. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://mandela-effect.net/

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