ABSTRACT
When a life change has been expected, wished for or planned for and when it does not require too great an alteration to our assumptions about the world (world models) the necessary modification of these assumptions will usually proceed smoothly and realistically. When, however, circumstances are not ideal the old models of the world may undergo changes which give rise to further problems. Examples are cited of situations of change in which (a) the former models of the world are abandoned regardless of the continued relevance of some aspects of them; (b) models are modified in a partial and inappropriate manner, redundant parts being retained; and (c) models are encapsulated; they remain intact as alternative systems of thought or belief to which the individual can return if the alternative model proves unsatisfactory.
Among the various categories of events which are often classed as ‘stressful’ are those major changes in the life space which give rise to the need for a person to give up one set of assumptions about the world and to develop fresh ones. Events of this type have been designated as ‘psychosocial transitions’ and the reactions to which various transitions give rise bear sufficient resemblance to each other to justify us in studying them within a single frame of reference (Tyhurst 1957). Relocation of urban slum dwellers, amputation of a limb and bereavement by death are examples of psychosocial transitions which have been systematically compared (Parkes 1972a) but many other life changes could equally well be included: emigration, retirement, birth of a deformed or defective child or even unexpected promotion at work or receipt of a financial windfall. This does not mean that these events are always or necessarily deleterious in their effects and it is often the case 107that the completion of a successful psychosocial transition leaves the individual stronger, more mature and better equipped to cope with future transitions should they arise. But because psychosocial transitions are often turning points in life and adjustment and because a minority of those who undergo them develop physical or psychological symptoms or bring about social disorganization and suffering in the lives of others (Caudill 1958) they constitute an important field of study for social scientists. The characteristics of this field have been outlined elsewhere (Parkes 1971) and will not be reported here. This paper focuses instead upon one aspect of the reaction to psychosocial transitions, the changes which take place in the old assumptive world after an event which makes a large part of this internal model of the world obsolete.
The data upon which these generalizations are based derive from five main sources: studies by the writer of reactions to bereavement, amputation of a limb and terminal cancer, clinical psychiatric practice and the published studies of other workers.
