Abstract
Both Freud and Loewald talked about the ways in which individuals may be changed by grief, for better and for worse. This paper extends that thinking by looking at the ways in which grief and mourning reconfigure the psychic structure of the bereaved. Mourning may be an occasion for mastery through acts of altruism. Mourning may offer new narratives of the self. Using clinical and non-clinical examples, the author argues that grief is always transformative. It may lead to self hate and to lowered self-esteem but it may also lead to new ideals, new capacities, and new kinds of relationships with the dead.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to the working group of the International Work Group on Grief and Bereavement for your insight and help. Thank you also to Dr. Jaine Darwin for her helpful reading of earlier drafts.
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Berzoff, J. The Transformative Nature of Grief and Bereavement. Clin Soc Work J 39, 262–269 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0317-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0317-6