Search

This paper addresses the complex issue of the embodiment of grief. It explores how a theoretical shift to the body has influenced scholarly literature about grief and bereavement. Despite this shift, we argue that bodily interpretations and experiences are undertheorised in western psychological literature on bereavement. Specifically, we argue that linear stage models of grief have encouraged the view that grief needs 'working through' in the mind, and not necessarily the body. We draw on empirical data from interviews with bereaved people undertaken in England to illustrate aspects of the embodied experience of grief that differ from how psychological grief theories conceive of the bereaved person's body. Findings highlight the role of the bereaved person's body in managing grief and how the absence and continuing presence of the deceased person is managed through embodied practices. We conclude that understanding grief as an embodied experience can enable the development of grief theories that better capture the complex negotiation between the psychological processes of grief and the materiality of bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expected death In the early 1980s, a study by Cameron and Parkes (1983) showed that more bereaved people often took solace from the quality of care received by their loved [...]

In the UK, there are many ways of comprehending the end of life. Respect for cultural diversity and the significance of ritual are often important considerations for nurse managers. Carol [...]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2007.00173_7.x Byline: Carol Komaromy (1) Author Affiliation: (1)Open University

Within sociological and organisational literature much attention has been paid to the emotional labour and emotion work performed by care staff. By contrast, comparatively little attention has been paid to that which researchers perform and how it is shaped by the need to behave appropriately and in ways that are in keeping with the demands of the study setting. Existing literature focuses largely on the need for researchers to be aware of their emotions as part of being reflexive and thus, through acknowledgement, minimising any emotional impact (subjectivity) on research interpretations. In this paper, I draw on two research experiences, an ethnographic study into end-of-life care in care homes and an exploration into the role of the Anatomical Pathology Technologist in a hospital mortuary to explore the tensions between conducting sensitive research and managing emotions. I conclude by drawing on the theories of Goffman and Hochschild to explore the relationship between emotion management and sensitive research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01253_4.x Byline: Carol Komaromy

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.1085_6.x Byline: Carol Komaromy (1) Author Affiliation: (1)Open University