When individuals experience the loss of important people in their lives, they face many difficult emotional challenges which impact their wellbeing, and these emotions can occur for a very long period of time. If individuals are prepared for the loss due to lengthy illness or for other reasons, the experience of loss may be different, but the end result is the same. Therefore, individuals should focus on the positive memories of the person and how that individual played a role in their lives in different ways, perhaps as a father, mother, sibling, or friend.
Regardless of the circumstances, it is necessary to consider the challenges that the individual will likely face when the individual dies and how the stages of grief will occur naturally and at a different pace for each person. Even when the loss of a loved one is expected and is not a surprise, it nonetheless can be devastating and create a void which is difficult to fill.
The five primary stages of grief include the following: Denial, whereby an individual cannot fully accept the loss of the person and finds it difficult to move forward without that individual due to many significant emotions and lack of focus; anger, whereby individuals experience many different emotions which make them angry and wonder why the loss occurred to begin with; bargaining, whereby an individual wishes for any possibility that the life of his or her loved one can be spared; depression, a very common set of emotions whereby an individual experiences many feelings of emptiness and withdrawal which can impact daily living; and acceptance, whereby an individual can move forward and begin to understand life without the person who has been lost, gaining a new perspective regarding the loss and understanding that the person would want others to move forward with their own lives (Kubler-Ross & Kessler, 2014). Each of the stages of grief are important to the process, but each individual works through these experiences on his or her own timeframe, thereby allowing the development of coping mechanisms which can be used to move forward after the loss has occurred.
For children, grief is a very challenging experience because they typically lack the maturity of adults and do not fully understand what is happening when a person close to them has passed away. At the same time, children experience grief on different levels, similar to adults; therefore, there may be some common ground among children regarding coping styles, particularly when the are from a specific culture, ethnicity, or community (Ray, 2017). This is important in addressing the context of psychological wellbeing and how to best evaluate grief in children, based on their upbringing and culture (Ray, 2017). However, each grieving experience is highly personal for children, and some may take the loss harder than others, depending on their relationship with the person, their inner strength, and their level of maturity (Ray, 2017). These factors play a role in coping for children and provide a framework from which they can overcome the challenges that are associated with the loss of a loved one on their own terms and in their own timeframe. Grief in children is a challenging issue with limited understanding of characteristics that include prolonged emotions and depression in children and adolescents, all of which have a significant impact on their wellbeing (Unterhitzenberger & Rosner, 2015).
After a loss has occurred, there are several aspects of the human psyche that should be considered in offering tools such as grief counseling to those in need. Providing support and counseling to persons experiencing grief is an important step towards understanding the challenges of grieving and how individuals respond to these events (Tran, 2016). From the human development perspective, the use of theoretical frameworks can be useful in clinical practice to address the stages of grief, along with understanding how to resolve this process in different ways, such as recognizing that the person has passed and will not be coming back, adjusting to the pain of the loss, and recognizing the important connection with the person who has passed which can enable the survivor to move forward (Tran, 2016). Similarly, human development supports resiliency and strength after a loss; therefore, it is important for individuals to have a strong support system that will engage survivors in the stages of grief and recovery following a loss (Griese, Burns, & Farro, 2018). In this context, children and adults experience a myriad of emotions which may interfere with their growth as human beings if they cannot move past their grief and move forward with their lives, taking the next steps in their recovery (Griese et al., 2018).
Grief is a very serious and complex phenomenon which has a significant impact on survivors, taking on many different forms in both children and adults. It is necessary to allow persons to have as much time as is necessary to manage the stages of grief and to accept the loss on their own terms and timeframe. In addition, both children and adults require significant support and guidance during this period and should have these tools available to them as they begin to recover from the loss. These experiences are part of human development and maturity, particularly as all individuals undergo these experiences at one time or another throughout their lives.
