Loss Across the Lifespan Final Paper (Term Paper Sample)

Loss Across the Lifespan Final Paper
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Loss across the Lifespan
Introduction
Humans tend to follow diverse stages of human development throughout life, which begins with birth and end when an individual dies. According to Kail & Cavanaugh (2018), these typical life-span stages are broadly categorized into prenatal development, infancy, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. Nevertheless, we do not live in a perfect world. Hence, there are numerous causes that kill people daily, making death an inevitable but inseparable aspect of life. When one dies, people from all stages of life are left to grieve, and in some cases, the lives of these people may change forever.
One common change involves incorporating losses into our life narratives, and in some cases, grieve may ignite changes to long-standing ideas and thoughts. People begin to question basic, and founding believes in diverse aspects of society. When these changes are negative, one may be forced to view life and society more pessimistically. On the other hand, developing positive meanings may greatly enhance individual well-being, enhance engagement with others, and lead to the development of a sense of purpose.
This essay seeks to conduct an in-depth analysis of loss and the grieving process based on an interview conducted on a client. The essay begins by offering the client’s demographic information and the loss they experienced. Further, a range of theoretical perspectives on grief are introduced and how they relate to the client. A study of treatment and diagnostic evaluations are conducted based on psychoanalytic frameworks.
Demographic information
The demographic information presented in this section is solely based on an interview conducted on the client Ms. Vina. The client is a 52-year old non-Hispanic white, divorced, and a mother. In May 2000, Ms. Vina became a mother to a bouncing baby boy before losing her father a few days later. Her father's loss was a major blow to the client since they had a close father and daughter relationship. On the other hand, her father's loss was unexpected as he was only 59 years old and a police officer who was considered extremely healthy.
Following the death of the client’s father, Ms. Vina was left to take care of her mother, who was 54 years old and experienced personal challenges. One major challenge was the scare of losing her son nearly five months after he was born. Further, the client was charged with taking care of her mother, who was significantly affected by the loss, before succumbing a few years later. Lastly, the client received a divorce from her husband nearly three years after losing her father.
The client lost her father at the age of 31 years and worked as a top sales executive for the Verizon Wireless company. At this stage, the client was in the young adulthood stage of development. According to Kail & Cavanaugh (2018), the young adulthood stage based on Erickson's developmental stage is characterized by relationships, where individuals seek to develop and maintain intimate relationships. Further, the stage is characterized by a need to develop a family, and hence most people are keen on having their own children. Similarly, the client was keen on having a child of her own, which she had tried unsuccessfully for eight years. Three factors were also critical in defining the client's grief response: the birth of her son, close relationship with her father, and the joy her father had on hearing the good news.
The Loss
Before the loss of her father, the client had been blessed with her first-born son. Her father was overwhelmed by the news of being a grand-father and was hence keen on spending his time with his grandson. Two days before Ms. Vina’s major loss, her father had visited her at the hospital and informed her that he had undergone eye surgery to allow him to see his son better. The next day, the client had a phone conversation with her father, where he informed her that she would be taking her son to the clinic the next day. The father made a joke about how funny it would be if the baby peed on the doctor during the appointment scheduled for the next day.
On the fateful day, the client took her son for the appointment, and as the father had joked the previous night, the son actually peed on the doctor. After leaving her appointment, the client drove home but would not answer any missed calls that she had received; nevertheless, she would not wait to get home and tell her father the funny news. On reaching home, the client was informed of her father's passing by her husband, who later drove them to her parents’ home.
It is important to acknowledge that at this moment, the client was weeping profusely as she narrated the loss of her father, indicating that the feelings of loss were still raw to the client. Further, the client explains that her immediate response was yelling, "no, no, no, this is not possible. I just thank God a few days prior to his surgery. I did not need anything else; I was so happy. My heart is broken.” The client also experienced disbelief, evidenced by her statement, " wait, how is this possible? This must be a sick joke. "
The client and her husband left for Secaucus, where she met with her brother, who was crying and numerous other officers. Ms. Vina recalls that she took the pillow belonging to her father at that particular moment and began sobbing profusely. During the interview, the client's remembrance of this day's events resulted in the client sobbing again profusely. Lastly, the client also noticed that her mother did not cry throughout the burial process; rather, she decided to hide her feelings, although she was extremely devastated. The mother hence displayed inhibited grief. According to van Baarsen (2002), inhibited grief is observed when an individual fails to display any typical signs of grief outwards and hence chooses to keep their grief private. In my opinion, the client experienced complicated and prolonged grief.
According to research by Solomon & Rando (2007), complicated grief is defined as normal grief that is prolonged and associated with functional impairment. On the other hand, complicated grief is characterized by a continued yearning for the deceased and feeling upset when reminded of the deceased. Her continued sobbing evidenced the signs of complicated grief upon the patient to her father's memories and the fact that her loss was both sudden and involved a person she greatly loved. Secondly, the client may also depict the symptoms of cumulative grieve.
Van Baarsen (2002) explains that the cumulative grieve occurs when an individual experiences multiple loss and hence does not have adequate time to grieve one loss at a time. The client indicated that before losing her father, she had lost her favourite aunty a few months before, and after a year, the client also lost her god-mother whom they were very close. The client supports this conclusion by explaining that, following her father's burial, she did not have enough time to grieve for her loss as she was faced with numerous responsibilities.
Grief Theory Frameworks
According to Buglass (2010), bereavement is defined as a circumstance an individual find themselves after the loss of a loved one. Loved ones may include; a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or friend. One of the most common reactions adopted when one finds themselves in a bereavement situation is to grief for their loved ones. Buglass (2010) explains that an individual's reaction to grief is highly variable, and hence individual's experience idiosyncratic symptoms differently and at diverse durations. Consequently, a grief reaction may either be positive or negative. Negative reactions are most common and are characterized by depressive symptoms and possible remission. Positive grief, on the other hand, results when positive feelings are ignited following a loss. These feelings include; joy, peace, and gratitude.
Understanding the concepts of grief and bereavement attracts numerous and diverse paradigms that seek to describe the grieving process. Lönneker (2019) notes that one subject that is keen on describing the concepts of grief and bereavement is thanatology. Thanatology seeks to offer a figurative account of the grieving process guided by research in the field. The diverse theories of grief can broadly be described based on two contexts; historical and interdisciplinary context. Based on a historical context, there are three major categories; classical models, process-oriented models, and post-modern models. A deep analysis of Ms. Vina grieving process is guided by the theoretical framework below. The client's grief trajectory does not follow any particular theoretical format; rather, a range of diverse theoretical perspectives. It is important to acknowledge that every individual, once faced with grief, responds differently and hence there is no specific sequence of activities to follow. Nevertheless, individuals tend to follow one or more interrelationships of theoretical frameworks.
Classical models
One of the most recognized classical models of grief was developed by Freud in 1917. According to Lönneker (2019), Freud argued that grief exists as a state of melancholia; where-by, if the grieving process does not occur, then melancholia escalates. The theory further emphasized that one must break all ties with the deceased during the grieving process and adjust new strategies aimed at readjusting into a new life. This founding theory was ...