The author discusses the reasons why grief may become complicated & identifies the different categories of complicated grief. Grief may become complicated because: 1) the socialization that occurs within the family &/or culture; 2) lack of knowledge about the mourning process; & 3) the deritualization of American culture. Complicated grief is classified into the following categories: 1) absent grief; 2) distorted grief; 3) converted grief; & 4) chronic grief. (15 refs.)