Visions of the dead: imagination and mourning.
Contemporary research recognizes the existence of an ongoing attachment between the mourner and the deceased. This research tends to focus on the subjective aspects of the attachment--the mourner's memory and emotions. A complementary perspective is offered by archetypal psychology, which considers the deceased to exist outside the mourner's subjectivity as an autonomous image. This approach is illustrated by an exemplary case: a woman named Verda who experienced the death of her twin sister,Vera.Their account suggests that Verda's mourning derives from her encounters with Vera's continuing imaginal presence.
Becker
Scott H
SH
University Counseling and Testing Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA. shbtml@cs.com
Knudson
Roger M
RM
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D014427:Twins / Q000523:psychology*