Loss and change: A consideration of death-related issues.

The two main objectives of this research project may be described in the following way. The first objective was to investigate the reactions to bereavement experienced by a random sample of individuals who had lost a parent, child, sibling, or spouse by death. The second objective was to observe the importance of factors (if any) which were related to areas identified as being inadequately analysed be previous researchers. Specifically, these areas were: I.) issues arising from the bereaved's perception of others significant to the bereavement situation and the situation itself; 2.) the nature of the relationship between the bereaved and the deceased; 3.) different adjustments to "commonsense reality" being necessitated by the loss of different relationships. These objectives were pursued by using a theoretical perspective derived from the phenomenological insights of Berger and Luckmann (1967), and aspects of Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Theory. The data were collected by means of a preliminary questionnaire designed to identify individuals relevant to the-study, and a semi-structured interview designed to provide information concerning the areas which had been identified as being inadequately analysed. The data were used to generate grounded theory, a mode of analysis initially expounded by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Different reactions to bereavement were identified and categorised in terms of their relationship to previous research in the area. The following factors were found to influence reactions to bereavement: I.) death-related social and cultural factors; 2.) the receipt of official and unofficial support; 3.) the deceased; 4.) perception of bereavement status by self and others; 5.) the nurturing and closeness aspects of the relationship between the bereaved and the deceased; 6.) death-related knowledge and beliefs. Eleven categories of reaction emerged and were characterised by the differential distribution of the above-stated factors.