Running Heading: FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief and Alternative Methods of Grievance
Trayna Nguyen
College of the Canyons
November 20, 2014
FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF
Understanding the Five Stages of Grief Elisabeth Kubler-Ross developed a theory of reaction when coping with loss and grief in her book, On Death and Dying, published in 1969. She theorized a five step process consisting of denial (refusing to believe the diagnosis), angering (being upset with death), bargaining (pleading to doctors or God), depression (hoplessness), and acceptance (accepting the reality of death). Her five step process gave way to other theories of losses such as divorce. Not all theorist agree with Kubler-Ross. Some argue that not all people…show more content… In the December 2011 Harvard Mental Health Letter, one doctor, Dr. J. William Worden, suggested a different model of grieving. His model included accepting the loss, experiencing the resulting pain, adjusting to a changed world, and finally, making amends with the loved one so they can move…show more content… Of course, every individual is different. Some people have different ways of coping; this is seen prominently in different cultures. Some cultures like the United States tend to celebrate the life well lived of their loved ones, rather than mourning immensely like someone in the Middle East. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s idea that we only grieve in five stages does notaccount for everyone. Due to unique circumstances, each person finds their own way of coping and coming to terms with themselves, but there is no right or wrong way to