ABSTRACT
Rage is an emotion that is denounced by society and by most, if not all, religious communities. If the parents of a murdered child admit to being enraged by the savagery and senselessness of their child's death, they are often encouraged to forgive the murderer. Self-anger is perhaps the most torturous emotion the parents can experience. A homicide is a senseless and meaningless act. That the parents must live with the knowledge that someone senselessly ended their child's life adds another painful dimension to the emotion of meaninglessness. In addition to experiencing the nine core emotions of grief, six of which can take on added dimensions that increase their intensity, parents of murdered children also experience seven additional emotions that are specific to murdered-child grief. Many parents of murdered children believe that murder is an intentional act.
