Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Support and the Alleviation Of Loss

  • Chapter
Book cover Social Support: Theory, Research and Applications

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 24))

Abstract

The earliest treatise on grief and mourning to which researchers working in the area of bereavement invariably refer is Freud’s 1917 paper “Mourning and Melancholia”. The ideas expressed in this monograph became not only the basis for the psychoanalytic theory of depression, but also greatly influenced later conceptions of the emotion of grief. Central to Freud’s approach was the notion of the “work of mourning” or “grief work”, whereby he meant the process through which the grieving survivor becomes free of his or her ties to the deceased, achieving a gradual detachment by means of reviewing the past and dwelling on memories of the deceased.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Abrahams, R. B . (1972). Mutual help for the widowed. Social Work. 17. 54–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ader, R. (Ed.). (1981). Psychoneuroimmunology. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arling, G. (1976). Resistance to isolation among elderly widows. International Journal of Aging & Human Development. 7. 67–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bahr, H. M., & Harvey, C. D. (1979). Correlates of loneliness among widows bereaved in a mining disaster. Psychological Reports. 44. 367–385.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bahr, H. N., & Harvey, D.D (1980). Correlates of »orale axsong the newly widowed. Journal of Social Psychology. 110. 219–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bankoff, E. (1983). Social support and adaptation to widowhood. Journal of Marriage and the Family,45, 827–838.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, C. J. (1978). Effectiveness of widows groups in facilitating change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 46, 20–31.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. G.& Syme, S. L. (1979). Social networks, host resistance and mortality: A nine-year follow-up of Alameda County residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109. 186–204.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Binswanger, L. (1957). Sigmund Freud: Reminiscences of a. friendship. New York: Grune & Stratton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, D . (1975). On widowhood. Discussion. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 8, 29–41.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bock, E. W., & Vebber, E. L. (1972). Suicide among the elderly: Isolating widowhood and mitigating alternatives. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 34, 24–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bornstein, P., Clayton, P. J., Halikas, J., Maurice, W. L., & Robbins, E. (1973). The depression of widowhood after 13 months. British Journal of Psychiatry. 122, 561–566.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss, vol. 3: Loss: Sadness and depression. London: Hogarth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. B . (1978). Social and psychological correlates of help-seeking behavior among urban adults. American Journal of Community Psychology, 6, 425–439.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bunch, J. 91972). Recent bereavement in relation to suicide. Journal of Psychosomatic Research,.16, 361–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clayton, P. J. (1975). The effect of living alone on bereaveeent symptoms. American Journal of Psychiatry. 132,.133–137.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clayton, P. J., Halikas, J. A., & Maurice, W. L. (1972). The depression of widowhood. British Journal of Psychiatry. 120. 71–78.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & McKay, G. (1983). Social support, stress and the buffering hypothesis: A theoretical analysis. In A. Baum, J. E. Singer, & S. E. Taylor (Eds.), Handbook of psychology and health, volume IV. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dohrenwend, B. S., 6 Dohrenwend, B. P. (1974). Stressful life events: Their nature and effects. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations. 7. 117–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filipp, S. -H. (Hg.) (1981). Kritische Lebensereignisse. Munchen: Urban & Schwarzenberb.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1959). Mourning and melancholia. (1917) Collected papers (Vol. 4 ): New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerber, I., Wiener, A., Battin, D., & Arkin, A. M. (1975). Brief therapy to the aged bereaved. In B. Schoenberg et al. (Eds.), Bereavement: Its psychosocial aspects. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glass, D. C. (1977). Behavior patterns. stress and coronary disease. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glick, I., Weiss, R. S., & Parkes, C. M. (1974). The first year of bereavement. New York: Wiley-InterScience.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heller, K. (1979). The effects of social support: Prevention and treatment implications. In A. P. Goldstein & F. H. Kanfer (Eds.), Maximizing treatment gains: Transfer enhancement in psychotherapy. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helsing, K. J., & Szklo, M. (1981). Mortality after bereavement. American Journal of Epidemiology. 114. 41–52.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiltz, S. R. (1975). Helping widows: Group discussions as a therapeutic technique. Family Coordinator. 24. 331–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11. 213–218.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. S. (1981). Work, stress and social support. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobrin, F. E., & Hendershot, G. E. (1977). Do family tics reduce mortality? Evidence for the United States 1966–68. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 39, 737–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman, M. A., & Videka-Sherman, L. (1983). The impact of self-help groups on the mental health of widows and widowers. Unpublished manuscript.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann, E. (1944). Symptomatology and management of acute grief. American Journal of Psychiatry, 101, 141–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopata, H. Z. (1973). Widowhood in an American city. Morristown, NJ:

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowenthal, M. F., & Haven, C. (1968). Interaction and adaptation: Intimacy as a critical variable. American Sociological Review. 33. 20–30.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. J. (1977). The broken heart: The medical consequences of loneliness. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddison, D . (1968). The relevance of conjugal bereavement for preventive psychiatry. British Medical Journal. 41. 223–233.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maddison, D. C., & Walker, W. L. (1967). Factors affecting the outcome of conjugal bereavement. British Journal of Psychiatry. 113,1057–1067.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCourt, W. F., Barnett, R. D., Brennen, J., & Becker, A. (1976). We help each other: Primary prevention for the widowed. American Journal of Psychiatry. 133. 98–100.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, L. A . (1976). A re-examination of widowhood and morale. Journal of Gerontology. 31. 687–695.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, C. M. (1972). Bereavement: Studies of grief in adult life. London: Tavistock Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, C. M. (1979). Evaluation of a bereavement service. In A. Dc Vries & A. Carmi (Eds.), The dying human (pp. 295–305 ). Ramat Can, Israel: Turtledove.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, C. M . (1980). Bereavement counselling: Does it work? British Medical Journal. 281. 3–10.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, C. M., & Weiss, R. S. (1983). Recovery from bereavement. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pihlblad, C. T., Adams, D. L., & Rosencranz, H. A. (1972). Socioeconomic adjustment to widowhood. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying. 3, 295–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polak, P. R., Egan, D., Vandebcrgh, R., & Williams, W. V. 91975). American Journal of Psychiatry. 132. 146–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rahe, R. H. (1979). Life change events and mental illness: An overview. Journal of Human Stress. 5, 2–10.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsay, R. W. (1979). A behavioral treatment of pathological grief. In P. 0. Sioden, S. Bates, & W. S. Dorkcns (Eds.), Trends in behavior therapy. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raphael, B . (1971). Preventive intervention with the recently bereaved. Archives of Geriatric Psychiatry. 34. 1450–1454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raphael, B. (1980). A psychiatric model for counseling. In B. M. Schoenberg (Ed.), Bereavement counseling: A multidisciplinary handbook. Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, J., Sheldon, A., Barwick, C. et al. (1982). Help for families of suicide: Survivors support program. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 27, 444–449.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schachter, S. (1959). The psychology of affilitation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoenberg, B. M. (Ed.). (1980). Bereavement counseling: A multidisciplinary handbook. Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, P. R . (1969). The widow-to-widow program: An experiment in preventive intervention. Mental Hygiene. 53. 333–337.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, P. R., & Cooperband, A. (1975). On widowhood: Mutual help and the elderly widow. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 8, 9–27.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stroebe, M., & Stroebe, W. (1983). Who suffers more? Sex differences in health risks of the widowed. Psychological Bulletin. 93. 279–301.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stroebe, W., Stroebe, M. S., Gergen, K. J., & Gergen, M. (1980). Der Kumner-Effekt: psychologische Aspekte der Sterblichkeit von Verwitweten. Psychologische Beitrage. 12.87–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stroebe, W., Stroebe, M. S., Gergen, K. J., & Gergen, M. (1982). The effects of bereavement on mortality: A social psychological analysis. In J. R. Eiser (Ed.), Social psychology and behavioral medicine. Chichester, England: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vachon, M. L. S. (1979). Identity change over the first two years of bereavement: Social relationships and social support in widowhood. Unpublished dissertation, University of York (Canada).

    Google Scholar 

  • Vachon, M. L., Formo, A., Freedman, K., Lyall, W. A. L., Rogers, J., & Freeman, S. J. J. (1976). Stress reactions to bereavement. Essence. 1. 23–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vachon, M. L., Lyall, W. A. L., Rogers, J., Freedman-Letofsky, K., & Freeman, S. J. (1980). A controlled study of self-help intervention for widows. American Journal of Psychiatry. 137. 1380–1384.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vachon, M. L. S., Sheldon, A. R., Lancee, W. J., Lyall, W. A. L., Rogers, J., & Freeman, S. J. J. (1982). Correlates of enduring distress patterns following bereavement: Social network, life situation and personality. Psychological Medicine. 12. 783–788.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wenz, F. (1977). Marital status, anomie and forms of social isolation: A case of high suicide rate among the widowed in an urban sub-area. Diseases of the Nervous System. 38. 891–895.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Worden, J. W. (1982). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tübingen, Germany

    Margaret S. Stroebe & Wolfgang Stroebe

Authors
  1. Margaret S. Stroebe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wolfgang Stroebe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Irwin G. Sarason  & Barbara R. Sarason  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1985 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Stroebe, M.S., Stroebe, W. (1985). Social Support and the Alleviation Of Loss. In: Sarason, I.G., Sarason, B.R. (eds) Social Support: Theory, Research and Applications. NATO ASI Series, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5115-0_23

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5115-0_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8761-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5115-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation