Katja BuckleyPSY 3313: Psychology of Adulthood and AgingDr. CorderoGrief Reaction PaperWhile many people believe that grief is a debilitating, illness-like process, it is much more complex than that. Grief, being an emotion, means that individuals have no control over the emotion. It is important to understand, however, that grieving is an important and active coping process that can help restore a sense of normality and autonomy to the grieving person. According to Leming and Dickinson (2006), grief is a series of “behaviors and attitudes related to coping with the stressful situation resulting from a change in the status of a relationship. Research, over time, has attempted to understand how to deal with death. Researcher Robert Kavanaugh (1972) identified seven behaviors and feelings that are part of the grieving process that are similar to Kübler-Ross' five stages of grief. The five Kübler-Ross stages are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Kavanaugh's seven behaviors and feelings are: shock and denial, disorganization, unstable emotions, guilt, loss and loneliness, relief and recovery. Below is an overview of the seven behaviors and feelings. Most people react to the death of someone with shock and denial. Initially the death seems unreal and even as time passes, the grieving person finds ways to deny that the person is dead. According to Leming and Dickinson, some believe that denial is dysfunctional when it also serves a positive function. Temporary denial allows the grieving person to retreat to a safe place, away from the loneliness and ugly reality of the situation. Denial, in essence, can protect the individual from the extent of the loss suffered. After the initial notification of someone… by paper… or unfaithful, it is important for individuals to move forward. Without moving one, it is impossible to experience a new social life. Dealing with grief and the four tasks of grieving are equally important when dealing with death and go hand in hand. The four tasks of grief are similar to the four domains of coping. Accepting the reality of loss can be compared to the psychological domain, experiencing grief can be compared to the physical domain, taking on new social roles can be compared to the social domain, and reinvesting in new relationships can be compared to the spiritual domain. domain. It is important to understand that grief is not the bereaved person's entire experience. The seven behaviors and feelings are important to becoming a whole person again and the four stages of grief allow an individual to re-establish their social roles over time.