Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
Throughout this review, I argue that grief is an aspect of identity given its continuous and reoccurring nature. The death of a significant person forces one to reconstruct their own narrative, resituate their relationship with the deceased individual, and develop a new sense of self post-loss. Further, I expand Doka’s (2002) theory of disenfranchised grief to argue that all grief is disenfranchised. I make this argument under the contention that the dominant narrative of grief always assumes the experience to be finite, linear, and a process of detachment. Given the reality that few people actually identify with this conceptualization of grieving, their experiences are always disenfranchised.
Those who have experienced the death of a significant person, such as a family member, commonly mention feeling isolated in their experience (Ironside, 1997; Goodrum, 2008). Difficulty communicating about grief occurs not solely because the loss is saddening, but because grief is disenfranchised. The purpose of this literature review is to support the contention that grief is an aspect of identity that is always disenfranchised by the dominant narrative of grief, making grief and loss difficult to communicate about. Grief deserves to be understood as a hidden illness of sorts; one that suddenly and permanently becomes a part of one's identity, making them a member in a club they never asked to join.
Experiences of grief following death-related loss are always disenfranchised given the “dominant narrative of grief” (Neimeyer, Klass, & Dennis, 2014), which assumes appropriate bereavement is detaching from the deceased, getting over the grief in a certain amount of time, and abiding by social norms surrounding what grief is and ought to be. This dominant narrative reinforces the performative nature of grief and upholds barriers to grief communication, thus disenfranchising the experiences of those who continue to grieve the death of a loved one. By not acknowledging this problem, researchers, practitioners, bereaved, and non-bereaved individuals alike fail to gain deeper insight into the actual experiences of individuals affected by grief, thus perpetuating the issue and turning a blind eye toward opportunities to participate in validating, compassionate, and honest conversations about grief, death, and dying. conclude by argue that, given the impact that grief has on individuals’ identities, failing to acknowledge and validate their real experiences with grief is failing to acknowledge and validate their full identities.
Understanding grief as a continuously constructed and narrated part of identity will yield many opportunities to manage of the problem of disenfranchised grief by, a) redefining the dominant narrative that confines individuals experiencing loss to a single assumed experience and, b) breaking down the barriers that inhibit grief communication. By reviewing previous grief research, I highlight gaps in current knowledge that can be filled by conceptualizing grief through this framework. Therefore, within my review, I pose areas for future research within the field of Communication.
Mentor Name
Stephen Yoshimura
Video of conference presentation
Death-Related Grief and Disenfranchised Identity: A Review of Key Concepts and Findings
UC 331
Throughout this review, I argue that grief is an aspect of identity given its continuous and reoccurring nature. The death of a significant person forces one to reconstruct their own narrative, resituate their relationship with the deceased individual, and develop a new sense of self post-loss. Further, I expand Doka’s (2002) theory of disenfranchised grief to argue that all grief is disenfranchised. I make this argument under the contention that the dominant narrative of grief always assumes the experience to be finite, linear, and a process of detachment. Given the reality that few people actually identify with this conceptualization of grieving, their experiences are always disenfranchised.
Those who have experienced the death of a significant person, such as a family member, commonly mention feeling isolated in their experience (Ironside, 1997; Goodrum, 2008). Difficulty communicating about grief occurs not solely because the loss is saddening, but because grief is disenfranchised. The purpose of this literature review is to support the contention that grief is an aspect of identity that is always disenfranchised by the dominant narrative of grief, making grief and loss difficult to communicate about. Grief deserves to be understood as a hidden illness of sorts; one that suddenly and permanently becomes a part of one's identity, making them a member in a club they never asked to join.
Experiences of grief following death-related loss are always disenfranchised given the “dominant narrative of grief” (Neimeyer, Klass, & Dennis, 2014), which assumes appropriate bereavement is detaching from the deceased, getting over the grief in a certain amount of time, and abiding by social norms surrounding what grief is and ought to be. This dominant narrative reinforces the performative nature of grief and upholds barriers to grief communication, thus disenfranchising the experiences of those who continue to grieve the death of a loved one. By not acknowledging this problem, researchers, practitioners, bereaved, and non-bereaved individuals alike fail to gain deeper insight into the actual experiences of individuals affected by grief, thus perpetuating the issue and turning a blind eye toward opportunities to participate in validating, compassionate, and honest conversations about grief, death, and dying. conclude by argue that, given the impact that grief has on individuals’ identities, failing to acknowledge and validate their real experiences with grief is failing to acknowledge and validate their full identities.
Understanding grief as a continuously constructed and narrated part of identity will yield many opportunities to manage of the problem of disenfranchised grief by, a) redefining the dominant narrative that confines individuals experiencing loss to a single assumed experience and, b) breaking down the barriers that inhibit grief communication. By reviewing previous grief research, I highlight gaps in current knowledge that can be filled by conceptualizing grief through this framework. Therefore, within my review, I pose areas for future research within the field of Communication.