Kül-Ross Five Stage Model

Before trying to understand how the guilt of losing a loved one will affect other family members, try to understand how this guilt is affecting the person. Guilt is a natural part of the grieving process. Most people assume that there are five stages to this grieving process. This five stage model was developed by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in her book, On Death and Dying (Hall, 2011). The first stage of the Kübler-Ross model is the shock and denial of the death. In this stage, the person may become unable to cope without the deceased. Their emotions then increase to feelings of guilt or anger. After this stage has past, the next is bargaining. Since there is no way to bring back the dead by bargaining, or any other means, the next stage is depression. After all these stages have been completed, the next stage is acceptance of the death (Hall, 2011). Kübler-Ross does point out that this process is different for everyone and can vary in length. She also adds that this length could be due to the relapse into some stages (Clatch & Long, 2015). This model is controversial due to the linear progression it implies to the delicate bereavement process (Hall, 2011).
Psychologist J. W. Worden also developed a linear model (Clatch & Long, 2015). However, Worden’s model is more hands-on than Kübler-Ross’s model (Hall, 2011). This model is referred to as the Four Tasks of Mourning (Clatch & Long, 2015). The Four Tasks or Mourning starts out with accepting the death of the loved one. This stage then flows into working through the pain and grief caused by the death, which is easier said than done. The next stage is to adjust to life without the loved one. After the adjustments are made, the last step Worden specifies is maintaining an attachment to the loved one while continuing with life (Clatch & Long,