Grieving Process Focus Work Kubler-Ross\' Grieving Process

¶ … grieving process focus work Kubler-Ross' grieving process stages grief. Review story

Traditionally, the conception of grief is intrinsically related to death and, indeed, death is certainly one of the most readily applicable situations in which grief is manifest. However, grief and the process of grieving is applicable to virtually any negative situation, such as the loss of a job, a home, or of a romantic relationship. Grief is often magnified when it involves more than one of these losses. In the biblical story of Job, the protagonist lost virtually everything, his family, amicable relationships with his friends, his home and sources of wealth, and even his health (Kroll, 2012). Therefore, this story is extremely suitable for an examination of the five stages of grieving as denoted by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. There are a number of parallels between Job's emotions and actions during this austere test of God's design and the five stages of grieving that the author explains, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Kubler-Ross, 1997). An examination of these concepts with Job's tale and other eminent factors related to grieving and religion provide a fair degree of insight into how humans handle negative situations and loss.

Job experiences each of the five situations that Kubler-Ross indicates are part of the grieving process. His initial feeling of denial is evinced relatively early on after he loses his property and source of income, because he has failed to understand the scope of trial he will endure. He still praises God because, although he has incurred loss, he does not believe things will get that much worse. He denies belief in the full extent of his problems.

Job experiences a great deal of anger towards God in the vast majority of the narrative however, particularly after he placed on the ash heap and has become afflicted with sores that severely restrict his health. His anger is directed towards God, for the simple fact that he feels his suffering is undeserved and believes God has forsaken him. This anger lead directly to his bargaining with God and begging him for relief, which eventually manifests in depression before, an encounter with God, leads to his acceptance of the fact that God and his ways are incomprehensible and that he can only accept his fate.

Whereas the grieving process of found within the Bible as illustrated by the story of job is highly congruent with the grieving process identified by Kubler-Ross, it is notable that this sort of congruency does not exist with all religions. This is particularly true of the conception of grief and of death as demonstrated by the Yoruba people, particularly that displayed in the Wole Soyinka's play Death and the King's Horseman, which was based on actual events that took place in Nigeria in the early part of the 20th century. In this particular religion, the death of certain individuals is a cause for rejoicing. Within the play a king of a particular tribe dies, and the religious ritual that accompanies this death is that the first born son is supposed to kill himself to look after the king in heaven (Soyinka, 1990). From the time the king dies to the moment the son kills himself, he is regarded as a celebrity and is allowed license to party and partake in life's festivities. His death is viewed as heroic; there is no cause for grieving. Some people might mourn the king's death, but in regards of that of his son there is only a perception of the son performing a sacred, and highly valued duty -- which largely forsakes all of the steps found in Kubler's-Ross's process for grieving.

The relationship between joy and the Yoruba process of (not) grieving regarding the self-inflicted death of a king's son is fairly intrinsic. The process of his dying is an occasion for joy, accompanied by much celebration both before and after the son kills himself. His death is a joyous occasion. However, when considering the interaction between joy and Kubler-Ross's grieving process, there essentially is none. Many of the stages, such as depression and anger, are decidedly contrary to any form of joy. The only stage that comes closest to relating to joy is the fifth stage of acceptance. Even then, there is less rejoicing than a calm, contemplative understanding of what has transpired and the finality of it. People do not usually rejoice when they accept a death in Western society, although doing so is possible.