|  | Family Health | Death Mourning

Are the Stages of Grief the Same in All Cultures?

Painful experiences or loss can create a variety of emotions within people, including grief. People process grief differently, even within the same cultures. Many factors can impact the grieving process, such as personality, life experience, religious beliefs and cultural background. Not everyone will go through the same stages of grief, but this depends primarily on individual and personality differences.

  1. Stages of Grief

    • Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross introduced the idea of the grieving process when she identified the five stages of grief in 1969. Although her work related to death, these stages can be generalized for many types of losses or negative life experiences, such as a relationship break-up, job loss, retirement or moving. Dr. Kubler-Ross identified these stages as denial of the reality of the event, anger over what is happening, bargaining either with yourself or a higher power, depression and overwhelming sadness, and final acceptance and peace with the loss.

    Cultural Expectations

    • Individuals and families grieve as part of a cultural milieu. Society monitors or polices grief or places expectations on people regarding how to think, feel and act. Cultures have different rules about displaying emotions. The reality is that dealing with grief is a personal issue that must be processed individually. For example, even though both Bali and Egypt are Islamic countries, the expectations for the display of grief from women differ greatly. In Bali, the culture discourages emotional displays from grieving women while in Egypt, women are encouraged to dramatically demonstrate their feelings through crying.

    Examples: Western Culture

    • In some Native American societies, the deceased are not mentioned by name. Photographs and conversation about the person who has passed are considered inappropriate. Instead, tribes honor the dead non-verbally. Mexican-Americans celebrate the Days of the Dead, Dias de los Muertos. They believe that during this time, October 31 through November 2, the deceased can visit living relatives and friends. Mexican culture portrays this aspect of society through art, cooking and crafts. According to European Jewish customs, the yahrzeit, or anniversary of the death, is a time to commemorate the loved one, including visiting the cemetery.

    Examples: Eastern Culture

    • At Japanese-American funerals or memorial services, co-workers are expected to give a monetary gift in an envelope to the family. Called a "koden," the amount is based on the type of gift you may have received from the deceased or the family in similar circumstances. At Buddhist funerals, the family members appreciate gifts of vegetarian food. The family will usually host an incense ceremony, but guests may observe only and do not need to participate. At Islamic funerals, women dress modestly, covering their heads and arms. On some occasions, only men can attend the burial service.

Death Mourning - Related Articles