Introduction
This paper critiques a documentary by WPSU (2021) – “Speaking Grief.” The review aims to draw attention to concepts and theories that have influenced discourse in developing grief therapy and management. In this evaluation, common themes that emerge in the documentary are compared and contrasted with information learned from class materials and a book by Harris and Winokuer (2019) on the principles and practices of grief counseling.
Collectively, the data sources helped identify three relevant themes in this analysis: grieving as a human experience, differences in grieving patterns, and ways of managing grief. The insights gathered from analyzing these three themes in the documentary form the basis for the present analysis. At the end of the review, their findings will be used to develop a personal reflective account of the grieving process.
Grieving as a Human Experience
Grieving is a common human experience, regardless of one’s background. Relative to this assertion, Shear and Gribbin (2017) propagate the idea that grief is an essential human experience, defined by emotive episodes and characterized by different psychological states of mind. From this statement, one could assume that the grieving process is an innate human experience that traverses socioeconomic or human-based societal differences.
However, unlike other human experiences associated with loss and sadness, the grieving stories narrated by the interviewees in the documentary by WPSU (2021) depict the process as a natural life experience. Notably, the documentary contextualizes death as a human lived experience. Therefore, it shares the same view as those held by Harris and Winokuer (2019), which suggests that death is a human-lived experience. Thus, these arguments contribute towards normalizing death as a critical part of life.
Differences in Grieving Patterns
Understanding differences in grieving patterns among populations is vital because it helps evaluate the impact of death on communities. Relative to this assertion, the WPSU (2021) documentary emphasizes differences between the grieving patterns of children and adults. It suggests that children’s grieving style is more physical and outward-looking compared to adults.
This statement has implications for the development of therapeutic interventions for grieving patients because practitioners can better interpret the impact of loss on their mental state relative to their ages (Stroebe et al., 2012). However, these differences do not imply that some people are more adaptable to the grieving process than others (Harris & Winokuer, 2019). This outcome suffices because personal grieving styles are equally helpful in understanding pain-coping mechanisms in the same way as age is.
The above-mentioned differences in grieving patterns imply that people have varied reactions to death. These differences are ordinarily nurtured via cultures and manifest as emotions. In turn, it means that grief is not merely a one-off event to be overcome (Shear & Gribbin, 2017). Indeed, the WPSU (2021) documentary contains stories of people who have grieved for months or even years after losing a loved one. Some of the interviewees admit to harboring the expectation that they would “get over” death quickly, but realized that it was not possible.
In this context of grief analysis, hope is unfounded and insensitive to individual grieving processes. Instead, Stroebe et al. (2012) argue that anger is the underlying emotion fuelling grief. Sadness, boredom, and confusion are some emotional states associated with this process, which make it difficult for a person to overcome grief quickly (WPSU, 2021).
These views parallel the contents of a book authored by Worden (2008). It highlights the importance of targeted emotional management by highlighting the relevance of talking through emotions that foster grief. Relative to this discussion, the book talks about how paying attention to people’s feelings could enhance counseling practice (Worden, 2008). The role of counselors and their feelings in the process are emphasized in this statement to enhance sensitivity to therapeutic interventions.
Managing Grief
It is important to understand the process of managing grief in an environment where emotions and feelings are the primary factors fueling emotional instability. At the same time, people make mistakes when interacting with grieving people, possibly because they do not understand ways to address the situation (Stroebe et al., 2012). For example, the lack of clarity regarding what to tell grieving family members when they are in a state of loss and confusion has prompted people to “say nothing,” thereby creating a “feeling of neglect” for the bereaved (Center for Prolonged Grief, 2015). This emotion is captured in the WPSU (2021) documentary via discussions about the psychological damage grieving people experience when society does not know how to help them through the experience. This outcome may have the same negative effect that the actual death of a person has on the affected family.
Recognizing limitations in community response to grief management creates an opportunity to improve clinical response to community challenges. In the context of this analysis, Harris and Winokuer (2019) draw attention to interventions that could be adopted to help such victims overcome their grief. For example, using photo narratives in grief therapy is mentioned as a sound way of helping the bereaved overcome their loss (Harris & Winokuer, 2019). The WPSU (2021) documentary shares ideas with Harris and Winokuer (2019) in this assessment. They both suggest that effective support should be given to grieving members creatively and sensitively.
Broadly, the initiatives mentioned above encourage the development of open listening and communication skills with the bereaved. They equally resonate with the views of Jordan and Litz (2014), which dissuade therapists from succumbing to the pressure of protecting the bereaved from grief. Instead, they make a case to provide targeted support to victims. Relative to this assertion, Piper et al. (2007) highlight the importance of embracing group therapy as one way to assist such victims. They encourage adopting a collaborative approach to grief management as one way of providing care.
Personal Reflection
I concur with the views presented by the scholars sampled in this analysis, which propagate the idea that grieving is a natural human experience with varied effects on the people involved. Notably, Ted Rynerson’s story in the WPSU (2021) documentary resonates with my sentiments of grief. The clinical psychologist compares the feeling of death with an amputation. It emulates my experiences after the death of my younger brother in his adolescent years. His death was different from others I experienced because of our shared lived experiences and closeness in age.
Relative to the above statement, I believe that the circumstances surrounding death play a role in shaping one’s depth of grief. Notably, I consider deaths that have occurred unexpectedly to be “harder to process” compared to those that are expected. For example, the death of a person who dies in a car accident could be difficult to overcome compared to one that occurs because of a terminal disease.
In the latter case, the element of “shock” is lost when death occurs. This statement resonates with the experiences of Asia’s Mother, Rose, in the WPSU (2021) documentary, who died in a car accident. She says the loss was shocking and difficult to “get over,” given the unexpected turn of events that led to the loss of a family member in 2016. Overall, her experience suggests that grief can be processed differently based on the nature of the death involved and how well one was close to the bereaved.
Conclusion
The ideas of psychology and grief management, which are fundamental principles of life, are closely related to the “Speaking Grief” documentary that is the subject of this essay. The three themes of grieving as a human experience, variations in grieving patterns, and methods of managing grief were all pertinent to this investigation. The current analysis is based on insights obtained by examining these three themes in the documentary. They emphasize the need to understand the complexities and nuances of grief management, including possible challenges and opportunities for growth in how people address the problem.
Despite differences in views and ranges of emotions involved in grief management, the documentary underscores the importance of changing perceptions of grief from negative to positive. This transformation may create the basis for accepting grief as a natural part of life. Therefore, the focus should be on managing feelings that come from it instead of suppressing or overcoming associated emotions.
References
Center for Prolonged Grief. (2015). Bonnie Gorscak CG [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Harris, D.L, & Winokuer. H. R. (2019). Principles and practice of grief counseling (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing.
Jordan, A. H., & Litz, B. T. (2014). Prolonged grief disorder: Diagnostic, assessment, and treatment considerations. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 45(3), 180–187. Web.
Piper, W. E., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., Joyce, A. S., Weideman, R., & Rosie, J. S. (2007). Group composition and group therapy for complicated grief. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(1), 116–125. Web.
Shear, M. K., & Gribbin, C. (2017). Complicated grief treatment: An evidence-based approach to grief therapy. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 35(1), 6–25. Web.
Stroebe, M., Schut, H., & Van, D. B. J. (Eds.). (2012). Complicated grief: Scientific foundations for health care professionals. Routledge.
Worden, J. W. (2008). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner (4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
WPSU. (2021). Speaking Grief. [Video]. YouTube. Web.