Bereavement across Cultures

Abstract

Bereavement is an inevitable part of life and an all too common part of cancer care. Death is a universal human experience about which science has taught us nothing. It is a taboo subject that draws morbid fascination or counter-phobic indifference. We have the unsubstantiated theories of science and psychology, religious superstitions and logical inconsistencies, and the pretensions of art and poetry. If there is nothing we can do about death, perhaps we should echo the collective unconscious and treat it as if it does not exist, high priests of the illusion that we can live forever? Confronted with the limits of treatment and subsequent death, support of the bereaved is one of the hardest tasks for the caregiver, and one of the most neglected. Yet, there remains a responsibility to provide support for those grieving, care that goes beyond the death. A compassionate response helps both those who suffer and those who care. This chapter reviews the literature on culture and bereavement. Grief reactions, complicated and uncomplicated bereavement, counseling, cultural influences, and religious interpretations of bereavement are reviewed. The goals of this chapter are to enhance readers' understanding of cultural differences in grief, and promote culturally competent bereavement care. In what follows, the subject and important definitions are introduced. The theories of bereavement, coping, and counseling are discussed, with a focus on perspectives on cancer, bereavement, and culture. As religious aspects of culture and bereavement have such a large influence on the experience, a separate section is devoted to religion. Insights throughout are supported with illustrations from the world literature and clinical practice. Although the attempt is to present a global worldview, many of the insights have been formulated from a US perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)