Coping with anger and aggression in mourning

Journal of Death and Dying • Vol/Iss. 3 • Published In • Pages: 271-284 •
By Rosenblatt, Paul C., Jackson, Douglas A., Walsh, R. Patricia

Abstract

This article investigates bereaved persons’ ways of coping with anger and aggression. Analysis suggests that anger and aggression are reduced in cultures where ritual specialists are involved before and during body disposal. Patterns in customary isolation or marking of bereaved persons are also discussed.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
Standard Cross Cultural Sample (SCCS)Other Researchers

Hypotheses (4)

HypothesisSupported
Anger and aggression will be negatively associated with the amount done by religious and nonreligious ritual specialists up to and during initial body disposal (271, 275).Supported
The isolation of widows will be positively associated with widows’ attacks on institutionalized targets or herself (276).Supported
The marking of widows will be positively associated with two measures of institutionalized anger and aggression: widows’ attacks on self and somebody is an institutionalized target (277).Supported
Duration of marking parents will be positively associated with parents’ expression of measure of anger and aggression (the parent of sub-adult offspring attacking something) (277).UNKNOWN
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: Jessie Cohen  Amelia Piazza