John Bowlby's The Bereavement Theory

The dying trajectory is a concept that is useful for understanding patients’ experiences as they near death (pg. 281). Not every trajectory is the same; they are estimated by their duration and expected course which can and will affect both the patients and caregivers while also influencing their actions. Our book states two different types of trajectories: 1) expected quick, where an individual makes a quick exit and 2) lingering trajectory, where a patient’s life fades away slowly and inevitably. However there are three different types of lingering trajectory that our book provides to us: 1) Trajectory 1: short period of evident decline, steady progression and clear terminal phase, 2) Trajectory 2: long-term limitations with intermittent …show more content…
This bereavement uses both attachment theory and human information processing. Bowlby divides bereavement into four phases and I think that is where I resonate with his theory the most. The first phase is numbing, the second is yearning and searching, the third is disorganization and despair and the fourth is reorganization. Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things we have to go through in life, so that numbness, the feeling of being lost, and disorganization are and should be normal. On page 28 he states “new skills must be acquired, old ones discarded.” I would second that statement. It is important and necessary to grieve and get closure, but one should not try and hold on to old ways. I am not saying the right thing to do is to completely let go of their loved one, but in order for you, as an individual, to stay healthy and move forward in life it is important to acquire new skills. “It is a process of reshaping internal representational models so as to align them with the changes that have occurred in the bereaved’s life situation” (p. 28). Overall, I strongly agree with Bowlby’s theory and I gave my personal critiques of his theory within this …show more content…
Wolfelt gives us four characteristics he believes a caregiver needs to have in order to be successful and helpful. These characteristics are: 1) empathy, 2) respect, 3) warmth and caring and 4) genuineness. According to the PowerPoint provided to us, these characteristics are defined as: Empathy: “the ability to place oneself into or share another person’s feelings,” Respect: “the ability to communicate the belief that everyone possesses the capacity and right to choose alternatives and make decisions,” Warmth and caring: “the ability to be considerate and friendly as demonstrated by both verbal and non-verbal behavior” and Genuineness: “the ability to present or show yourself sincerely.” I agree that in order to be a helpful caregiver, one must provide and show these characteristics. Without them, I do not feel as though a caregiver would be doing their job correctly. People reach out to caregivers when they need help, so caregivers must be able to provide these characteristics and respond to families and patients with empathy and respect while being genuine and