Nonfinite Loss and Grief as Counterparts

Abstract

The excerpts selected from the book Nonfinite Loss and Grief: A Psychoeducational Approach (Bruce & Schultz, 2001) demonstrate support for Rochlin's (1965) statement that "acceptance of loss in emotional life is probably neither a clinical fact nor a human characteristic" (p.131). Traditional assumptions are challenged and the argument advanced that loss and grief are counterparts; neither can be adequately explained in isolation from the specifics relating to the other. The book is concerned with explaining and presenting the particular and unique grief responses, which characterise nonfinite losses. It further questions an overly simplistic approach to grief and loss which fails to fully consider the implications inherent in the cumulative nature of loss in many situations, including bereavement. Finally, it emphasises the need for a critical approach to the conceptualisation of loss and the resulting application of grief theory to practice.