Grief as Taboo

Abstract

This chapter explores the communication of grief, often viewed as a taboo topic of conversation. The study connects author/Christian apologist C. S. Lewis's views of grief, as provided in his book A Grief Observed to communication scholar Brant Burleson's research on supportive, comforting messages. Loss and grief connected to jobs, grades, missed opportunities, relationship breakups, and so forth are worthy of study because loss affects communication. However, this inquiry examines the loss associated with the death of someone deeply loved. Lewis's reflections on what grief feels like and how it changes over time are overviewed, as are his reflections on how communication with the bereft occurs and ought not to occur. Burleson's work on supportive communication is summarized, including the comforting effects of messages with religious content. Parallels are drawn between Lewis's ideas and interpersonal communication scholarship on the oft-viewed taboo topic of grief.