Unresolved Grief and Continuing Bonds: An Attachment Perspective

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Unresolved Grief and Continuing Bonds: An Attachment Perspective
Language: English
Authors: Field, Nigel P.
Source: Death Studies. Oct 2006 30(8):739-756.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2006
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Death, Attachment Behavior, Grief, Coping, Emotional Response, Classification, Stress Management
ISSN: 0748-1187
Abstract: Much of the contemporary bereavement literature on the continuing bond to the deceased (CB) has emphasized its adaptiveness and given limited attention to when it may be maladaptive. The attachment literature on disorganized-unresolved attachment classification in relation to loss, or "unresolved loss," is informative in identifying CB expressions that are indicative of failure to integrate the death of a loved one. In this article, an important linkage is identified between a prominent indicator of unresolved loss that involves a lapse in the monitoring of reasoning implying disbelief that the person is dead and the clinical writings of J. Bowlby (1980) and V. D. Volkan (1981) on maladaptive variants of CB expression. The aim is to highlight the value of the attachment literature on unresolved loss in clarifying the conditions under which CB is likely to be maladaptive.
Abstractor: Author
Number of References: 37
Entry Date: 2007
Access URL: https://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/link.asp?id=NW647464561X2012
Accession Number: EJ753392
Database: ERIC
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Abstract:Much of the contemporary bereavement literature on the continuing bond to the deceased (CB) has emphasized its adaptiveness and given limited attention to when it may be maladaptive. The attachment literature on disorganized-unresolved attachment classification in relation to loss, or "unresolved loss," is informative in identifying CB expressions that are indicative of failure to integrate the death of a loved one. In this article, an important linkage is identified between a prominent indicator of unresolved loss that involves a lapse in the monitoring of reasoning implying disbelief that the person is dead and the clinical writings of J. Bowlby (1980) and V. D. Volkan (1981) on maladaptive variants of CB expression. The aim is to highlight the value of the attachment literature on unresolved loss in clarifying the conditions under which CB is likely to be maladaptive.
ISSN:0748-1187