What do you think?
Rate this book
Bereavement: Studies Of Grief In Adult Life
St. Christopher's Hospice, London, UK. Text, for non-specialists and specialists, on the understanding of grief and grieving. Includes reviews of new work by others who have contributed to the understanding of this field. Trim 9 x 6 inches. Previous edition is not cited.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
5 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 29, 2020
É uma leitura absolutamente acadêmica. Não posso dizer que é super fluido de ler, mas posso afirmar que cada página tem MUITO conhecimento necessário! A quantidade de pesquisas e a seriedade de Colin Murray Parkes é, pra mim, encantador. Mas não é o tipo de livro que todos gostariam de ler. A linguagem não é difícil, mas é mais técnica e recheada de exemplos de pesquisas. Acadêmicos, pesquisadores, psicólogos e psiquiatras se beneficiariam muito ao ler este livro.
July 22, 2025
This book is clearly written from experience - long clinical years of experience - and it shows clearly the author's priorities at the tail-end of a career in the care of the bereaved. Those priorities appear to be service level instruction on managing grief and bereavement, as well as a clear and well expressed desire to ensure no one with a complicated grief, c0-morbid psychiatric illness or lack of support will be failed in their grief. It also reiterates time and again the published evidence base for the assertions made, the theories understood to be relevant, the criteria of diagnosis, best treatment, and prognosis, for what is discussed.
This combination makes for a book which is inarguably an authority in the matter, but which is also somewhat cold. Small morsels of warm understanding are present throughout the mixture, but overall this is a nutritious but not a flavoursome meal. I thought this book has the right approach for a seminal text however, and being a modification of a text from many years previous, language and society have changed somewhat in the intervening years. What was impressive was the obvious care in the design of the book, the detail, the desire to put grief in a worthy spotlight for those who wish to actually study it rather than simply support those experiencing it. In retrospect this is a book which initially left me feeling underwhelmed but with time showed itself to be rightfully an authority.
It was fascinating to hear time and again that, for uncomplicated grief, a dedicated support service is equivocal in outcome - it does not actually have evidence that it helps people, on average. Those interviewed report gratitude for the help, and the volunteers involved derive meaning from it, but the author's main argument in this line is that these support services are probably doing their best work as a screening out tool to find those who will not recover from grief, those who are unsupported, those who would not otherwise do well after loss - and that is a great point and well made here.
Having an intellectual framework for understanding the psychology and psychiatry of loss is very good, but overall I think an understanding of the matter requires broader reading than this one text. I would recommend it to doctors, particularly psychiatrists, but not necessarily to the public at large unless they have an academic slant.
This combination makes for a book which is inarguably an authority in the matter, but which is also somewhat cold. Small morsels of warm understanding are present throughout the mixture, but overall this is a nutritious but not a flavoursome meal. I thought this book has the right approach for a seminal text however, and being a modification of a text from many years previous, language and society have changed somewhat in the intervening years. What was impressive was the obvious care in the design of the book, the detail, the desire to put grief in a worthy spotlight for those who wish to actually study it rather than simply support those experiencing it. In retrospect this is a book which initially left me feeling underwhelmed but with time showed itself to be rightfully an authority.
It was fascinating to hear time and again that, for uncomplicated grief, a dedicated support service is equivocal in outcome - it does not actually have evidence that it helps people, on average. Those interviewed report gratitude for the help, and the volunteers involved derive meaning from it, but the author's main argument in this line is that these support services are probably doing their best work as a screening out tool to find those who will not recover from grief, those who are unsupported, those who would not otherwise do well after loss - and that is a great point and well made here.
Having an intellectual framework for understanding the psychology and psychiatry of loss is very good, but overall I think an understanding of the matter requires broader reading than this one text. I would recommend it to doctors, particularly psychiatrists, but not necessarily to the public at large unless they have an academic slant.
December 4, 2025
found this one really interesting
the author attempts to define grief, and also give practical advice to help grieving people. though not an emotive text, for the most part the authors approach could be described as 'person first', respecting the ways different people grieve as well as the similarities
the biggest recommendation I thought was preparing for loss as a tool, which the author accepts isn't always possible
I also find the (brief) description of grief, or lackthereof, in animals. I often find it frustrating when behaviors are used to make a one-to-one comparison with humans
the author attempts to define grief, and also give practical advice to help grieving people. though not an emotive text, for the most part the authors approach could be described as 'person first', respecting the ways different people grieve as well as the similarities
the biggest recommendation I thought was preparing for loss as a tool, which the author accepts isn't always possible
I also find the (brief) description of grief, or lackthereof, in animals. I often find it frustrating when behaviors are used to make a one-to-one comparison with humans
February 28, 2022
What makes this book so good is that it's learned enough to be a valuable resource for counselling and psychology students, yet accessible enough to be of benefit to anyone who is bereaved, or who simply wants a deeper understanding to better help friends or family members who are.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews