Component Death Concepts and Implications of Incomplete Understanding for Adjustment to Loss
| Irreversibility: death is a permanent phenomenon from which there is no recovery or return |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child expects the deceased to return, as if from a trip |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: failure to comprehend this concept prevents the child from detaching personal ties to the deceased, a necessary first step in successful mourning |
| Finality (nonfunctionality): death is a state in which all life functions cease completely |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child worries about a buried relative being cold or in pain; the child wishes to bury food with the deceased |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: may lead to preoccupation with physical suffering of the deceased and impair readjustment |
| Inevitability (universality): death is a natural phenomenon that no living being can escape indefinitely |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child views significant individuals (ie, self, parents) as immortal |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: if the child does not view death as inevitable, he/she is likely to view death as punishment (either for actions or thoughts of the deceased or the child), leading to excessive guilt and shame |
| Causality: the child develops a realistic understanding of the causes of death |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child who relies on magical thinking is apt to assume responsibility for the death of a loved one by assuming that bad thoughts or unrelated actions were causative |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: tends to lead to excessive guilt that is difficult for the child to resolve |
| Irreversibility: death is a permanent phenomenon from which there is no recovery or return |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child expects the deceased to return, as if from a trip |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: failure to comprehend this concept prevents the child from detaching personal ties to the deceased, a necessary first step in successful mourning |
| Finality (nonfunctionality): death is a state in which all life functions cease completely |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child worries about a buried relative being cold or in pain; the child wishes to bury food with the deceased |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: may lead to preoccupation with physical suffering of the deceased and impair readjustment |
| Inevitability (universality): death is a natural phenomenon that no living being can escape indefinitely |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child views significant individuals (ie, self, parents) as immortal |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: if the child does not view death as inevitable, he/she is likely to view death as punishment (either for actions or thoughts of the deceased or the child), leading to excessive guilt and shame |
| Causality: the child develops a realistic understanding of the causes of death |
| • Example of incomplete understanding: the child who relies on magical thinking is apt to assume responsibility for the death of a loved one by assuming that bad thoughts or unrelated actions were causative |
| • Implication of incomplete understanding: tends to lead to excessive guilt that is difficult for the child to resolve |
Reprinted with permission from Schonfeld D. Crisis intervention for bereavement support: a model of intervention in the children's school. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1989;28(1):29.