Women and Psychology Course: Relationships and Grieving

Sorrow, bereavement, and distress are some reactions to loss of a loved one as a result of death. Even though there are different reasons for a relationship to end, loosing a partner due to death has an amplified effect, and is a source of great grief for the individual left standing alone. Death is a powerful loss. Grieving is a socially constructed phenomenon, which means it is not fixed, rather it is fluid and changes from context to context.
Loosing a spouse to death might be an expected or unexpected event leaving the partner alone and at times struggling to adjust to the changes in their lifestyle and routine. However, it is important to recognize that death in any relationship results in an overlap of factors affecting and influencing the grieving process. This is key for developing and implementing proper support, services and potential solutions for the grieving partner and families.
Drawing on personal experiences and research this paper provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the affecting and influencing factors that surround dealing with death within intimate relationships. Specifically, this paper explores some of the psychological, economical, and socio-cultural factors that might hinder the healing and recovery process.
As a widow, I need to except that life will never go back to being or feeling the same way; However, this does not mean that I can never have a healthy and fulfilling life filled with love, ambition, goals, and dreams. I must recognize that I am currently under a different context, and as a result must be flexible and willing to mold and reshape in order to adjust to the constant changes that are an unavoidable part of life, even in circumstances outside of death (for example disability, migration, culture, aging, etc). First I will address some of the psychological factors, since they are the bases of almost all human behaviour and activity, and will therefore provide a foundation to begin the discussion of relationships