Bereavement and neurosis.
The psychoanalytic model of mourning is necessary but not sufficient for the analysis of many disorders resulting from bereavement. A set of definitions is offered to differentiate bereavement (a set of traumatic events that are psychologically elaborated) from mourning (the resolution of the psychological attachment to the dead). This article argues that the traditional approach to bereavement, solely in terms of disturbances of mourning, has been too restrictive and has limited our understanding of other factors. After a review of the analytic bereavement literature, a multifactorial approach is suggested, which the author believes better captures the complex nature of these conditions. These factors include: (1) trauma, (2) vulnerability, (3) unconscious significance, (4) object relations, and (5) defense and adaptation. The psychoanalytic treatment of a woman who suffered the loss of her mother and possible incest in adolescence is discussed in detail. The focus of the analysis was on conflicts related to oedipal victory and narcissistic trauma. The analysis is reviewed in light of the multifactorial model.
Hagman
G
G
F. S. DuBois Center, Stamford, CT, USA.
D000328:Adult; D001601:Bereavement; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D009769:Object Attachment; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy