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Grief Theorist

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Submitted By MissPersephone
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• Theorist • His/her education and experience • Primary focus of study • Outline of their theory of grief including steps/tasks if any • Your opinion about this theory and whether you feel it would be helpful or unhelpful to you in a time of loss • Your critique of this theory positive or negative

I choose to do my grief theorist paper on Elisabeth Kubler Ross. Elisabeth Kubler Ross was born on July 8th, 1926 in Zurich Switzerland and died on August 24, 2004. Against the wishes of her father, Ms. Ross attended the University of Zurich: Medical School after she spent time volunteering at a refugee relief camp, during WWII, and visiting a Nazi death camp. There she realized that her true calling in life was psychiatry. She graduated in 1957 from the University and traveled to New York to continue her studies. In New York, she met and married, Emmanuel Ross, who happened to be a fellow medical student. In 1958, Kubler-Ross began her fellowship at Manhattan State Hospital, here she had her first encounter with terminally ill patients. Kubler-Ross bore witness to the poor, inhumane treatment of these patients. It appalled Ms. Ross and she was inspired to begin a workshop that focused on meeting the needs of those individuals who were dealing with terminal illness. The workshop, which she taught herself, helped medical students recognize the needs of these patients and the special care that they needed.

After leaving New York in 1962, Kubler-Ross moved to Colorado to continue her psychiatric training at the University of Colorado: School of Medicine. A few years down the road, she was offered a position as an assistant professor in psychiatry at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. During her tenure there, she continued her work with terminally ill patients. Moreover, in 1969, she published her first book, On Death and Dying. The book famously introduced Kubler-Ross’ well-known five stages of grief. These five stages of grief that she created, has been widespread throughout the world and has been used as a model to help people cope with grief/loss/death.

In the book On Death and Dying, Ms. Ross identified the five stages of grief that individuals experience as they face death. The five stages are: 1. Denial: A temporary defense mechanism, denial is often the earliest stage of grief and involves feelings that “this can't possibly be happening to me.” 2. Anger: A dying person questions why he or she is facing death. The person might look for a source of blame, or simply become angry with the world. 3. Bargaining: During this stage, people try to find ways to buy themselves more time. They might,for example, start bargaining with God or attempt to institute a healthier lifestyle. 4. Depression: As a dying person begins to accept fate, overwhelming depression, sadness, or hopelessness may kick in. 5. Acceptance: At this stage, a dying person accepts the inevitability of death, finding some peace in this acceptance. Acceptance does not, however, mean that a person wants to die or is happy about dying, and grief may linger.

Initially Kubler-Ross used these stages as a coping map for those dealing strictly with death, she later extended them to individuals dealing with all losses. Losses such as: health, freedom, divorce, and the death of a loved one. Though they listed in order, not everyone experiences the five stages in the same order and individuals can bounce from one stage to the next and then back to the first one. For example, a dying individual could start with bargaining or anger before they enter into denial. Kubler-Ross also noted that some individuals might stay on one stage for a period of time, some even for many years.

I believe that Kubler-Rose five stages of grief are impactful and I believe that they have helped millions of people cope with loss. I, myself, have used Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief in my own life, dealing with loss of both my grandparents, a close friend of mine, and the divorce of my parents. It’s not necessarily the only way to cope with a loss but it is a marvelous guide to help you through the process of grief. I had to read On Death and Dying in one of my other classes and it really helped me a lot. It is one of the things that got me interested in the whole grief and dying process. I feel like Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ work is inspiring and it is a tool that has helped generations upon generations get through the tough process of a loss.

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