The Concept of Grief: an Analysis of Classical and Contemporary Thought

In spite of research on the subject, progress in gaining a clear understanding of grief has been relatively slow. This is partially because of the existence of a conceptual problem concerning the definition of grief. In this article, the results of a systematic inquiry to define grief as a concept are presented. The findings provide a synthesis of existing thought, suggestions for the reconceptualization of grief & grief outcomes, & guidelines for further study. (39 refs.)