Toward an Experiential Theory of Bereavement

Abstract

The Experiential Theory of Bereavement was derived from open-ended, telephone interview data provided by thirty-four adults who had experienced the death of a loved one. Strengths of this grounded theory study are that it was developed with nonclinical persons, it encompasses the illness and dying course, taking into account the full context of illness survivors grief, and it encompasses personal growth as a vital component of the grieving process. Regardless of the cause of death, the timeliness of the person's death, or the relationship of the survivor to the deceased, the process of bereavement follows a consistent overall pattern. Illness survivors were not found to have an ameliorated or foreshortened bereavement process as predicted by the anticipatory grief hypothesis.