Theories on men’s grief have changed considerably in the last tw o decades. In

this chapter I will examine the major de velopments in men’s grief and review

the most current perspectives. To put these changes in context, it can be help-

ful to brief y glance back and review the previous perspectives on gender dif-

ferences in g rieving. As described in Chapter 3 , grief theorists have shifted

their views on several key aspects of g rief. One of these shifts is fr om a ‘cut-

ting ties’ perspective to a more empathic view of continued relationships with

the deceased. Another signif cant shift is the cr itique of the long-held assump-

tion that the bereaved must engage in ‘grief work’ before grief can be resolved.

These requirements for successful g rieving, that ties must be cut and tha t grief

work must happen, have been applied equally to women and men. Under these

assumptions, it was generally expected that women were better grievers than