ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the 'bereavement' to the loss of (non-human) pets, the major features of terror management theory, three phases of the tripartite model of suicide bereavement (TMSB) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). Research by Packman et al. examines pet loss grief in terms of continuing bond expressions (CBEs), including recalling fond memories, keeping special possessions, and reminiscing with others. While TMT focuses on the role of cultural worldviews in providing meaning, other theoretical approaches have concentrated more on the need of the individual to make sense of bereavement. According to terror management theory (TMT), in order to combat their potentially paralysing terror and sense of pointlessness related to the awareness of their mortality, they adopt a cultural worldview; this enables them to achieve a sense of purpose/self-esteem by adhering to the norms and values that it prescribes. As measured by the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), women in general indicate more death anxiety than men.
