Complicated Grief In Catcher In The Rye

Holden has had consistent trouble with dealing with his loss and according to Mayo Clinic it could be what is called complicated grief “For some people, feelings of loss are debilitating and don't improve even after time passes. This is known as complicated grief, sometimes called persistent complex bereavement disorder. In complicated grief, painful emotions are so long lasting and severe that you have trouble accepting the loss and resuming your own life” (Mayo Clinic Staff.1). This is important because Holden shows the signs, but one is especially important “Lack of trust in others”(Mayo Clinic Staff.1). Holden is on this spiral because of his lack of trust in others. Holden doesn’t talk to anyone, he doesn’t trust anyone, someone who he could talk to could be Jane or his brother. He thinks he can’t talk to his brother because he’s a phony, he won’t talk to Jane because he doesn’t want to ruin her innocence. Holden makes excuses like he doesn’t want to bother anyone but in reality he just doesn’t want to talk about his feelings. “New York's terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome …show more content…
Holden doesn’t truly know what he’s doing, he is blinded by his grief. Holden doesn’t have good impulse control because of his lack of attachments and guides in life. A paper published by the British Agencies for Fostering and Adopting referenced to by Effects of the Lack of Attachment says examples of impulse control or lack thereof is “Exhibits poor control; depends on others to provide external control of behavior. Exhibits lack of foresight” (http://www.darvsmith.com/dox/lackofattachment.html). This shows it’s not exactly something that Holden is trying to do. It is an effect of the lack of people in his life that he trusts. Holden tries to better himself in the