When the Management of Grief Becomes Everyday Life: The Aftermath of Murder Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • This study examines how others indicate that our emotions violate social norms and how people feel about and respond to those indications. The data come from in‐depth interviews with thirty‐two people who had recently lost a loved one to murder (“bereaved victims”). Through the symbolic interaction process, bereaved victims came to appreciate the burden their grief imposed on others, and some of them took steps to minimize that burden. Despite their awareness of the burden, however, many of the bereaved expected others to express heartfelt sympathy for their loss. Instead, people offered inappropriate (and even hurtful) responses, including avoiding the topic of their loss, offering unnecessarily dramatic responses to the loss, and telling them to move on. The responses suggest that current feeling rules and emotion norms surrounding grief do not reflect the true extent of bereaved people's actual experiences, creating awkward situations for potential supporters and the bereaved.

publication date

  • October 1, 2008

has restriction

  • closed

Date in CU Experts

  • March 15, 2022 12:41 PM

Full Author List

  • Goodrum S

author count

  • 1

Other Profiles

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0195-6086

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1533-8665

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 422

end page

  • 442

volume

  • 31

issue

  • 4