ABSTRACT
The broad social context and cultural environment are key to shaping an individual’s reaction to death, dying, grief, and loss. Because death is universal, all societies have struggled with the reality of death and created a wide variety of responses to dealing with loss. In any case, so many cultures seem to deny the reality of dying, death, and grief. On the whole, dominant cultures provide little support for grievers. Little time is given off work to deal with a family death, since bereavement leave is generally just a few days for most people in most organizations. A given culture may offer many forms of institutionalized religion, each with its own interpretation about the meaning of death in human life. Precipitants of grief vary for families from different cultures after the death of a child.
