ABSTRACT
The concept of 'grief work' stems from Freud's claim that the bereaved person needs to emotionally detach form the deceased. According to the grief work hypothesis (GWH), one must confront the experience of bereavement in order to come to terms with loss and avoid detrimental health consequences. This chapter presents features of Lindemann's account of acute grief and Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning. The Dual-Process Model (DPM) makes a fundamental distinction between two categories of bereavement-related stressors: those that are loss-oriented and restoration-oriented. Oscillation between these two is a dynamic process and makes for 'normal' grieving. The Two-Track Model (TTM) of Bereavement combined the insights of Freudian-inspired grief work theories and the more empirically-oriented approach associated with stress, trauma, and life change. According to Parkes's psychosocial transition theory, grief involves adapting to change, in particular to a revised assumptive world.
